PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


Purchased  by  the  Hamill  Missionary 


Division  .I).T1.24 

Section 


THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


Digitized  by  the  Internet 

Archive 

in  2015 

https://archive.org/details/egyptiansudanOOgiff 


THE  EGYPTIAN 
SUDAN 


J.  KELLY  GIFFEN,  D.D. 


ILLUSTRATED 


New  York      Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1905,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago :  80  Wabash  Avenue 
Toronto  :  27  Richmond  Street,  W. 
London  :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh :    100  Princes  Street 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  The  Gateway  to  the  Sudan   15 

II.  An  Historical  Retrospect   21 

III.  A  Desert  Journey   30 

IV.  Omdurman — A  Dervish  Capital   39 

V.  The  Sudan  Capital — Khartum      .    .    .    «    .  51 

VI.  A  Missionary  Commission     .    .    o    .    .    .    .  56 

VII.  The  Start   69 

VIII.  The  Journey   77 

IX.  First  Experiences  at  Doleib  Hill  ....  92 

X.  The  Dignity  of  Labor  e    .  106 

XI.  Descriptive  op  the  People   123 

XII.  Origin  of  thr  Shulla  Tribe  and  Traditions  140 

XIII.  Occupations  and  Customs  »    .  152 

XIV.  Ijiportant  Visitors   171 

XV.  The  Untamed  Birds,  Aniaials  and  Creeping 

Things     .    «   180 

XVI.  Doleib  Hill  and  the  Sobat  River  ....  192 

XVII.  The  Sudan  Land   216 

XVIII.  Missionary  Conditions   234 

XIX.  Darkness  and  Dawn    .    »   242 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING  PAGE 


Statue  of  Gordon  at  Khartum   Title 

Map  of  Khartum  and  Omdurman      .......  15 

Medal  and  Notes  Issued  by    Gen.  Gordon  During 

the  Siege  or  Khartum   26 

A  Sudan  Government  Railway   36 

At  Abu  Simbel   36 

Some  Tall  Shulla  Specimens   80 

Arabs  at  First  Wooding  Station      ......  80 

The  Nile  from  the  Delta  to  its  Tributary  the 

Sobat   92 

One  of  the  First  Houses  at  Doleib  Hill       .    .    .  104 

Shulla  Girl  of  the  Sobat  Region    ......  124 

Workmen  at  Doleib  Hill   154 

War  Dance  of  Shullas  at  Doleib  Hill     ....  162 


J.  Kelly  Giffen  and  Mrs.  Giffen  at  Doleib  Hill  192 


PRONUNCIATION  AND 
SPELLING  OF  FOREIGN  WORDS 
AND  PROPER  NAMES 


The  rules  of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  have  been 
generally  observed  in  the  spelling  of  all  foreign  words  and 
proper  names  quoted  in  this  book.  It  is  especially  impor- 
tant to  observe  the  phonetic  value  of  1  and  u:  1  is  always  pro- 
nounced as  in  machine;  u  as  in  flwte.  The  following  table 
gives  a  number  of  the  letters  and  their  equivalents: 


Letters 

Pronunciation  and  Remarks 

Examples 

a 

Java 

e 

Yezo 

i 

Fiji 

o 

Tokio 

u 

long  u  as  in  flute;  the  sound  of 

Zulu 

All  vowels  are  shortened  in  sound 

by  doubling  the  following  con- 

Tanna 

ai 

as  in  aisUi  or  English   i  in  ice 

Shanghai 

au 

Fuchau 

ei 

practically   the  same   as  ei  in 

the  English  eight,  or  ey  in 

Beirut 

Doleib 

y 

is  always  a  consonant,  as  in  yard 

Kikuyu 

INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

Ever  since  the  tragic  and  pathetic  death  of  Gen- 
eral Charles  Gordon  at  Khartum,  on  January  26th, 
1882,  the  Egyptian  Sudan  has  occupied  a  large 
place  in  the  thought  and  sympathy  of  the  Western 
world.  Before  that  time,  the  adventures  and  dis- 
coveries of  such  explorers  as  Baker,  Grant, 
Schweinfurth,  Speke,  or  the  harrowing  tales  con- 
nected with  the  slave  trade,  awakened  only  a  tem- 
porary and  transient  interest  in  this  section  of 
Africa.  At  the  death  of  Gordon,  however,  some- 
thing of  the  worth  and  dignity  which  the  world 
rightly  attached  to  the  life  and  character  of  that 
Christian  soldier,  passed  over  to  the  land  for  which 
he  so  willingly  suffered  martyrdom. 

Since  Kitchener's  victory  over  the  Mahdists  at 
Omdurman,  the  Egyptian  Sudan  has  been  open  to 
civilization,  and  interest  in  the  Sudan  has  devel- 
oped along  two  clearly  defined  lines  and  this  in- 
terest promises  to  increase  steadily  from  year  to 
year. 

The  Sudan  has  already  awakened  commercial  in- 


1^ 


INTRODUCTORY 


terest.  The  prophetic  utterances  of  Sir  Samuel 
Baker  concerning  the  agricultural  possibilities  of 
the  Sudan  have  already  found  partial  fulfillment  in 
colonization  and  other  enterprises  which  have  been 
recently  launched.  The  judgment  of  such  men  as 
Mr.  Leigh  Hunt,  whom  Dr.  Giffen  quotes,  gives  as- 
surance of  the  Sudan  becoming  one  of  the  granaries 
of  the  world  and  a  recognized  feeder  for  the  cotton 
industries  of  the  West. 

The  Sudan  has  also  awakened  a  deep  and  in- 
creasing missionary  interest.  The  sorrows  and 
sufferings  which  the  slave  trade  visited  upon  the 
country,  the  more  recent  desolation  caused  by  a 
decade  and  a  half  of  Mahdi  rule,  the  strange  and 
whole-hearted  devotion  of  the  Sudanese  races  to 
religious,  though  false,  ideals,  the  martyrdom  of 
Gordon,  Isaiah's  realistic  and  hopeful  prophecy 
concerning  this  part  of  Africa,  and  finally  the 
present  destitution  of  the  land  and  the  largeness 
of  the  present  missionary  opportunity — unite  in 
their  appeal  to  the  sympathy  and  missionary  in- 
terest of  Christendom. 

To  those  who  approach  the  subject  along  any 
of  these  lines  of  interest.  Dr.  GilFen's  book  will  be 
most  fascinating  and  instructive.  At  the  present 
writing  there  is  a  singular  lack  of  literature  on  the 
Egyptian  Sudan,  and  it  is  a  distinct  advantage 
to  have  the  desire  for  information  met  by  one  who 


INTRODUCTORY 


13 


is  neither  an  adventurer  nor  a  superficial  ob- 
server of  the  facts  concerning  which  he  writes, 
but  acquainted  at  first  hand  with  the  country 
and  its  people  and  devoted  to  their  welfare  and 
enlightenment. 


C.  R.  Watson. 


The  Egyptian  Sudan 


I 

THE  GATEWAY  TO  THE  SUDAN 

AssuAN  may  be  regarded  as  the  gateway  to  the 
Sudan,  for  the  narrow  rock-confined  channel  is  a 
veritable  gateway  through  which  all  must  pass  who 
follow  the  Nile  into  the  Sudan,  and  the  beautiful 
island  of  Philse,  with  its  ruined  temples,  almost 
seems  to  close  the  entrance  as  we  go  into  the  way. 

As  a  matter  of  f-act,  Egypt's  southern  limit  is 
two  hundred  miles  farther  south,  just  north  of 
Wadi  Haifa,  at  about  twenty-two  degrees  north 
latitude,  but  for  what  lies  beyond  Assuan  Egypt 
cares  but  little.  There  is  a  sort  of  police  juris- 
diction over  the  scant  population  of  the  region 
between  Assuan  and  Wadi  Haifa  and  a  periodical 
tax  gathering,  but  this  is  about  all  the  thought 
that  is  ever  given  by  Egypt  to  this  Lower  Nubian 
province. 

From  Assuan  to  Wadi  Haifa  the  Nile  scenery  is 
different  from  all  that  lies  either  below  or  above 
these  two  points,  and  it  has  a  fascination  all  its 
own.    The  river  occupies  all  the  valley;  only  at 


16  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


rare  intervals,  in  some  little  cove  close  in  by  the 
great  rocks,  there  is  a  grove  of  palms;  a  little 
higher  up,  on  the  stony  banks,  are  a  few  rude 
houses  where  the  people  live.  It  is  wonderful  how 
tenaciously  the  people  cling  to  these  desolate  sur- 
roundings and  refuse  to  leave  them.  The  men  go 
off  into  Egypt  to  some  kind  of  service,  but  always 
with  the  desire  and  longing  to  return  to  their  own 
native  homes  on  these  barren  rocks  and  sand; 
meanwhile,  the  women  and  children  remain  at  home 
and — exist.  There  is  certainly  not  much  life,  and 
to  any  other  race  it  would  be  a  killing  monotony. 
The  sun  shines  every  day  here,  and  at  times  the 
hills,  rocks,  and  sandy  plains  are  aglow  with  heat. 
Still,  these  are  not  without  their  enchanting 
beauty,  for  there  is  a  constant  change  of  coloring 
according  to  the  light  and  shade  of  the  shifting 
day.  A  sunrise  or  a  sunset  in  Nubia  is  something 
one  cannot  describe  or  ever  forget.  You  never 
grow  weary  of  watching  it,  and  the  quiet,  with  the 
lap  of  the  water  against  the  banks,  is  like  a 
mother's  lullaby,  and  you  fall  asleep  in  the  pure, 
dry  air  to  rest  and  be  refreshed  after  a  manner 
that  does  not  come  to  one  in  the  bustle  of  life  else- 
where. You  awake  again  in  the  early  morning 
when  the  water,  the  rocks,  the  sand,  and  the  sky 
are  all  a  deep  purple.  Presently,  the  sun  trans- 
forms everything  into  a  golden  glow  and  heat,  and 


THE  GATEWAY  TO  THE  SUDAN  17 


the  day  that  follows  is  like  the  day  that  preceded, 
and  the  fascination  is  the  same.  The  charm  of  the 
morning  and  the  blissful  rest  of  the  night  are  full 
compensation  for  the  heat  of  the  day. 

I  do  not  believe  one  would  miss  this  journey  up 
through  Nubia,  the  gateway  to  the  Sudan,  if  he 
could,  and  there  is  not  much  chance  of  escape.  A 
steamboat,  too,  is  just  the  thing  by  which  to  make 
that  part  of  the  journey.  Any  other  method 
would  be  hazardous  to  one's  peace  of  mind  and 
comfort.  A  sailboat  would  be  too  slow  and  un- 
certain, and  the  noisy  railway  would  not  afford 
the  same  quiet,  nor  allow  the  enjoyment  of  scenery, 
as  one  would  be  shut  in  against  and  among  the 
hills,  and  be  brought  entirely  too  close  to  the 
burning,  yellow  sand. 

At  Wadi  Haifa  you  are  really  in  the  Sudan, 
but  cannot  realize  it.  It  might  be  Egypt.  The 
people,  for  the  most  part,  are  the  same,  only  a 
little  blacker ;  the  shopkeepers  are  Egyptians ; 
the  groceryman  and  restaurant  proprietor  is  a 
Greek.  Arabic  is  the  common  language  here;  so 
it  is  all  the  way  from  Cairo  to  Equatorial  Africa. 
Changes  are  very  gradual.  The  heat  grows  a 
little  more  intense,  and  the  rays  of  the  sun  descend 
in  lines  a  little  nearer  the  perpendicular.  The 
complexion  of  the  people  shades  off  from  white  to 
bronze,  and  from  bronze  to  ebony  black.    When  at 


18  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


last  you  find  yourself  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
black  country  it  comes  like  a  sudden  awakening, 
and  you  cannot  recall  when  you  left  Egypt,  nor 
where  you  crossed  the  line  into  the  Sudan. 

Arriving  at  Wadi  Haifa,  you  have  the  sensa- 
tion of  having  alighted  after  a  long  drive  up  a 
steep  incline,  and  you  expect  to  be  able  to  look  out 
and  away  beyond.  You  are  disappointed,  for  all 
around  and  away  beyond  is  the  desert,  a  great 
plain  of  yellow  sand.  If  it  is  a  calm  day,  the  sand 
is  very  peaceful  and  quiet,  and  the  heat  is  radi- 
ated from  it  in  great  waves;  but  if  a  wind  blows 
(and  it  generally  does  blow  here),  the  sand  and 
heat  are  something  terrific.  There  is  an  inclina- 
tion, too,  that  is  almost  irresistible.  It  is  to  stand 
on  tiptoe  and  stretch  the  neck  to  the  utmost,  to 
look  out  and  beyond,  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
Sudan,  possibly  of  Khartum,  but  in  vain;  every- 
where the  same  burning  sand  and  rocky  hills. 
Now  you  begin  to  realize  that  an  enormous  desert 
separates  you  from  the  real  Sudan.  What 
courage  it  must  have  required  to  cross  this  almost 
endless  and  pathless  waste  of  sand  by  the  old 
caravan  route.  There  were  not  many  brave 
enough  to  attempt  it. 

A  series  of  rapids,  the  first  of  which  is  just 
south  of  Wadi  Haifa,  prevents  navigation  and 
locks  the  southern  entrance  to  the  Sudan.    It  was 


THE  GATEWAY  TO  THE  SUDAN  19 


the  presence  of  these  rapids  that  made  it  so  diffi- 
cult to  suppress  the  Mahdi  Rebellion.  It  was  the 
land  and  not  the  people  of  the  Sudan  that  had  to 
be  conquered.  The  difficulty  of  travel  by  river 
and  the  great  desert  on  either  side  of  the  river 
constituted  a  natural  defense  to  the  Dervish  land. 
Wadi  Haifa  was  the  starting  point  of  Kitchener's 
campaign,  Khartum  was  the  objective,  and  it  re- 
quired more  than  thirteen  years  to  enable  him  to 
arrive.  It  was  a  kind  of  warfare  that  not  many 
armies  are  equal  to,  for,  besides  courage,  it  re- 
quired a  vast  amount  of  patience  and  physical 
endurance.  The  desert  was  the  battlefield  and  in 
some  way  it  had  to  be  conquered,  for  the  army 
needed  provision  and  water.  There  was  con- 
tinual toil  in  the  scorching  heat  of  the  day  and  not 
much  rest  in  the  chill  of  the  night.  There  was 
not  much  fighting  to  be  done  until  a  certain  point 
was  reached,  but  every  day  there  was  this  battle 
with  the  unfriendly  conditions  of  the  land.  What- 
ever honor,  and  it  is  much,  is  due  to  the  deter- 
mined British  Commander  and  his  fellow-officers 
for  their  courage,  patience,  and  skill  in  leading 
an  untrained  army  on  to  victory,  they  were  well 
matched  by  the  physical  endurance  and  obedience 
of  our  old  friends,  the  Egyptians.  One  cannot 
but  admire  these  on  whom  fell  the  brunt  of  this 
inglorious  campaign  and  who  did  not  have  the 


20  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


same  incentive  that  must  have  animated  their 
superior  officers.  What  could  these  poor  men  gain 
by  their  toiling  and  suffering?  It  was  claimed 
that  they  were  liberally  paid  and  well  fed,  and  this 
was  perhaps  true,  at  least  by  comparison.  But 
what  could  compensate  them  for  leaving  home  and 
Egypt.''  Not  the  Sudan,  for  they  would  not 
accept  the  whole  in  exchange  for  ten  feet  of  their 
native  soil,  for  that  land  swallowed  up  every  white 
man  who  dared  or  was  compelled  to  enter  it.  For 
many  generations — so  many  that  nobody  could 
count  them — "  The  White  Nile  "  had  been  another 
name  for  death.  The  criminal  and  the  unfortu- 
nate had  been  sent  there  never  to  return.  To  the 
ordinary  Egyptian  peasant,  from  among  whom 
the  rank  and  file  of  the  army  had  been  conscripted, 
it  was  a  veritable  hell.  There  was  no  patriotism  to 
sustain  them;  to  thousands  the  only  glory  was  an 
unmarked  grave  in  the  desert.  Yet  without  these 
poor,  conscripted  Egyptian  soldiers,  the  conquest 
of  the  Sudan  might  not  have  been  accomplished; 
the  demon  War  might  be  raging  there  still. 


II 


AN  HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT 

FuiiLY  twenty-six  centuries  ago,  in  the  language 
of  poetry  and  of  prophecy,  Isaiah  penned  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  land  "  which  is  beyond  the  rivers  of 
Ethiopia."  He  was  speaking  of  what  is,  to-day, 
the  Egyptian  Sudan.  He  called  it  "  the  land  of 
the  rustling  of  wings." 

"  One  whole  tile  which  I  picked  out  of  the  mud," 
says  Professor  Petrie  in  a  recent  article  on  the 
temples  of  Abydos,  in  Harper's  Magazine,  "  has  an 
aboriginal  negro  chief  and  his  name  and  locality. 
This  proves  of  particular  interest,  as  he  belonged 
to  the  fortress  of  Anu,  a  people  with  whom  the 
early  Egyptians  were  continually  at  war,  and  the 
day  of  whose  destruction  was  a  festival  down  to 
late  times.  From  this  tile  we  know  that  the  Anu 
were  the  negro  races  of  the  southern  border  which 
the  Egyptians  had  such  difficulty  in  holding 
back."  This  too  takes  us  back  many  centuries, 
indicating  that  "  the  Sudan  question  is  as  old  as 
the  beginning  of  history." 

In  more  recent  times,  in  the  early  decades  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  we  find  Egypt  laying  claim  to 
the  Sudan.    It  is  purely  a  claim  of  conquest. 

n 


22         THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


With  cupidity  as  a  motive,  the  Egyptian  flag  was 
steadily  carried  southward  until  at  last  the  limits 
of  the  Egyptian  Sudan  almost  reached  the 
northern  boundary  of  the  kingdom  of  Uganda, 
and  spread  eastward  to  the  frontier  of  Abyssinia, 
and  westward  until  it  included  the  kingdoms  of 
Kordofan  and  Darfur.  The  government  was  in 
reality  a  system  of  wholesale  robbery.  The 
ofiicials  cared  nothing  for  the  good  of  the  people 
or  the  country  except  so  far  as  it  served  their  best 
interest  to  be  good  or  do  good.  There  was  no 
patriotism  in  the  administration  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  no  restraining  principles  of  right  and 
justice.  Always  dealing  with  a  class  of  people 
whom  they  believed  to  be  much  their  inferiors,  and 
rightful  plunder,  there  were  many  acts  of  horrible 
cruelty  committed  in  the  name  of  the  government, 
but  always  in  the  interest  of  officials.  Slave  hunt- 
ing and  slave  driving  almost  always  led  to  the  per- 
petration of  crime  and  the  committing  of  horrible 
cruelties.  There  was  naturally  a  hostile  feeling 
against  the  government  authorities  on  the  part  of 
those  who  constantly  suffered  these  things.  Then 
rivalry  and  jealousy  among  the  more  wealthy  and 
influential  of  the  population  and  officials  kept  the 
deep-seated  discontent  constantly  boiling.  This, 
in  short,  is  the  story  of  the  Sudan,  during  the 
larger  part  of  the  nineteenth  century. 


AN  HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT  23 


In  1881  there  appeared  in  the  Sudan,  Moham- 
med Ahmed,  a  native  of  Dongola,  a  religious 
teacher.  Mohammed  Ahmed  was  of  a  poor  family, 
and  without  influence.  His  father  had  been  a  re- 
ligious teacher,  and  taught  his  son  the  Koran  and 
writing,  certainly  not  more  than  that.  As  his  edu- 
cation had  been  in  Berber  and  Khartum,  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  had  heard  of  Egypt, 
and  had  a  fairly  correct  idea  of  what  it  was  like. 
He  doubtless  too  had  heard  of  Europe  and  Con- 
stantinople and,  in  the  stories  heard  in  his  youth, 
would  have  some  notion  of  India  and  Persia.  At 
best,  his  ideas  of  the  world  outside  his  own  little 
circle  of  a  few  hundred  miles  of  Sudan  territory 
would  be  of  the  vaguest  kind.  He  was  superior, 
however,  to  his  people,  exceedingly  intelligent,  and 
with  force  of  character. 

Mohammed  Ahmed's  strong  point  was  his  piety. 
He  was  deeply  religious  and  fervently  zealous,  and 
hence  became  a  favorite  with  all  his  teachers.  At 
one  time  this  same  pious  disposition  led  him  to 
rebuke  his  instructor  for  allowing  singing  and 
dancing  at  the  celebration  of  a  feast.  This,  Mo- 
hammed held,  would  be  greatly  displeasing  to  God. 
A  quarrel  between  teacher  and  pupil  was  the  result. 
The  former  was  so  greatly  incensed  by  the  pre- 
sumption of  his  disciple  that  he  drove  him  away 
with  cursing.    Even  in  the  Sudan,  where  the  dailjr 


24  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


paper  does  not  spread  gossip,  the  news  of  this 
quarrel  spread  rapidly,  and  drew  the  sympathy  of 
the  masses  of  the  people  to  the  pious  pupil.  Mo- 
hammed Ahmed  revisited  his  people  on  Abba  Island, 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles  south  of 
Khartum,  on  the  White  Nile.  Here  the  people 
flocked  to  him  for  his  blessing,  the  blessing  of  a 
holy  man,  and  one  bold  and  brave  enough  to  rebuke 
a  teacher  for  his  sins.  Then  Mohammed  Ahmed 
visited  the  district  of  Kordofan,  "  where  the  towns 
and  villages  abound  with  religious  teachers  of  the 
most  ignorant  and  superstitious  description."  He 
began  to  preach  and  exhort  the  people.  He  had 
one  subject  and  one  theme:  Our  religion  is  becom- 
ing debased  and  corrupted ;  our  prophet  is  insulted 
and  every  true  Moslem  is  humbled  by  the  corrup- 
tion of  the  government  officials  and  their  utter 
disregard  for  the  true  faith. 

With  this  sort  of  preaching  he  struck  the  right 
chord  in  the  character  of  the  Moslem  and  of  all 
the  Sudanese  tribes.  He  thought  to  unite  all  in 
one  great  faith.  Wisely  for  his  scheme,  he  recog- 
nized the  general  state  of  discontent  and  made  the 
most  of  it.  He  was  a  religious  leader,  but  he  was 
also  a  shrewd  politician.  He  based  arguments  on 
the  prevailing  "  hard  times,"  and  traced  these  to 
the  existing  government.  His  astuteness  was  also 
shown  in  the  fact  that  he  selected  as  the  field  for  his 


AN  HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT  25 


earliest  effort  the  most  disturbed  section  of.  the 
country  and  a  section  rather  remote  from  the  cen- 
tral government  and  hence  difficult  of  approach. 

It  was  in  1882  that  the  government  began  to 
be  somewhat  alarmed,  but  still  looked  upon  him 
as  a  holy  man,  zealous  for  religion  but  poor  and 
without  much  influence,  and  no  doubt  easily 
silenced.  The  government,  however,  had  already 
come  to  be  despised  by  the  people  because  of  its 
weakness  and  corruption,  while  the  prestige  of 
Mohammed  Ahmed  was  in  the  ascendency.  The 
spirit  of  rebellion  which  prevailed  in  Egypt  no 
doubt  helped  to  augment  fanaticism  in  the  Sudan. 
When  the  government  finally  sent  for  Mohammed 
Ahmed,  he  refused  to  go.  There  now  followed 
in  wonderfully  rapid  succession  defeat  after  defeat 
for  the  government,  and  success  after  success  for 
the  Mahdi. 

A  few  troops  were  sent  in  1881  to  bring  the 
Mahdi  to  Khartum,  but  he  and  his  followers  fell 
on  these  troops  with  clubs  and  sharp  sticks  and 
destroyed  them.  More  troops  were  sent,  but  these, 
too,  were  destroyed.  Then  came  the  Mahdi's 
attempt  to  capture  El-Obeid,  the  capital  of  Kor- 
dofan,  and  although  driven  back  with  great 
slaughter,  he  persevered  until,  after  a  siege  of  five 
months,  the  town  and  garrison  surrendered.  This 
was  in  the  beginning  of  1883.  There  was  no  doubt 


26  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


now  in  the  minds  of  all  that  this  was  the  long- 
looked-for  "  Mahdi,"  or  Expected  Leader,  whose 
coming  is  prophesied  in  the  Koran  and  is  anxiously 
awaited  in  the  whole  Mohammedan  world.  From 
every  tribe  where  Arabic  was  spoken  and  Islam  was 
the  prevailing  religion,  men  flocked  to  his  standard. 
Hicks  Pasha  was  sent  from  Khartum  with  an  army 
of  ten  thousand  and  met  his  enemy  and  his  fate 
on  November  4,  1883,  at  Shekan,  a  town  two  or 
three  hours  distant  from  El-Obeid.  The  battle,  or 
rather  the  slaughter,  lasted  perhaps  one  hour,  and 
there  were  possibly  two  or  three  hundred  of  the 
Egyptian  army  who  escaped  out  of  a  force  of 
ten  thousand. 

The  effect  of  these  repeated  successes  can  be 
easily  understood.  Mohammed  Ahmed's  claim  to 
divine  appointment  as  the  "  Expected  Leader " 
of  the  faithful  had  been  fully  established  and  his 
prestige  grew  apace.  Meanwhile  the  Mahdi  dis- 
patched letters  in  all  directions  proclaiming  his 
victories  and  his  divine  mission.  He  summoned 
all  to  join  the  holy  war  (Jehad)  and  promised 
four-fifths  of  the  booty  taken  in  war  to  his  follow- 
ers, to  whom  he  gave  the  name  "  Ansar " ;  the 
remaining  fifth  he  reserved  for  himself.  To  all 
those  who  should  fall  fighting  for  God  and  His 
religion,  he  held  out  the  certainty  of  the  fullest 
enjoyment  of  the  pleasures  of  paradise.    "  Thui^ 


"  These  notes  for  ten  Egyptian 
piasters,  zvere  issued  as  currency  by 
General  Gordon  during  the  Siege  of 
Khartum.  They  read  that  they  are  re- 
deemable at  Khartum  or  Cairo  after  a 
period  of  six  months,  from  April  25th. 
1884.  illustrating  Gordon's  expectation  of 
relief  at  any  time,  certainly  long  before 
the  end  of  1884." 


"  These  medals  were  presented  tn 
gold,  silver  or  lead  to  those  who 
seri'cd  his  Government  in  any  un- 
usual zvay.  The  medal  bears  the 
inscription  in  Arabic  '  Sie^e  of  Khar- 
tum '  until  the  Mohammedan  year  1300." 


MEDAL  AND  NOTES  ISSUED  BY  GEN.  GORDON  DURING 
THE  SIEGE  OF  KHARTUM 


AN  HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT  27 


did  he  pander  to  the  main  characteristics  of  the 
Sudanese,  viz.,  fanaticism  and  greed."  Each  new 
victory  was  an  inspiration  and  added  other  fol- 
lowers to  the  leadership  of  the  Mahdi.  Practically 
the  whole  Sudan  lay  at  his  feet. 

By  this  time  Egypt  had  realized  that  her  Suda- 
nese province  was  lost.  Her  only  desire  was  to 
withdraw  her  troops,  of  whom  forty  thousand  were 
scattered  throughout  the  country  in  isolated  gar- 
risons. To  accomplish  this  task,  Egypt  called  to 
her  aid  once  more  General  Charles  Gordon,  who 
had  been  governor-general  of  this  disaffected 
province  in  1877.  His  was  an  impossible  task  and 
he  was  left  to  do  it  alone. 

The  story  of  Gordon's  attempt  to  save  the  Sudan 
is  a  pathetic  one.  We  find  him  making  the  city 
of  Khartum  his  headquarters,  then  hemmed  in  on 
all  sides,  until,  at  last,  the  city  was  wholly  cut  off 
from  the  outside  world.  Then  we  see  him,  the 
single  Englishman  in  the  city,  bravely  standing 
to  his  post,  trying  to  do  the  work  of  a  hundred 
men,  baffled  by  the  shiftlessness  and  incompetency 
of  his  officers,  making  promises  until  their  faith 
in  his  word  as  an  Englishman  began  to  fail,  and 
yet  inspiring  that  listless  population  to  resistance 
for  321  days.  *  Then  we  know  of  the  night  attack, 
the  rush  to  the  palace,  the  j  avelin  throw,  and  "  he 

♦March  12,  1884— January  26,  1885. 


28  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


whom  the  Sudanese  women  called  '  the  Father  and 
Saviour  of  the  Sudan '  lay  dead." 

"  By  those  for  whom  he  lived,  he  died ; 
His  land  awoke,  too  late  to  crown  dead  brows  with  praise." 

The  fall  of  the  city  of  Khartum  marked  the  full 
triumph  of  the  cause  of  Mahdism.  Only  those  who 
read  some  record,  such  as  Slatin  Pasha's  "  Fire 
and  Sword  in  the  Sudan,"  or  Father  Ohrwalder's 
"  Ten  Years  in  the  Mahdi's  Camp,"  can  appreciate 
the  sorrow  and  suffering,  the  tyranny  and  oppres- 
sion, the  bloodshed  and  demoralization,  inflicted 
upon  the  Sudan  by  the  Mahdi  government.  Whole- 
sale butcheries  and  outrageous  immoralities  were 
committed  and  tolerated  in  the  name  of  religion. 
Famine  followed  in  the  wake  of  misgovernment, 
and  the  population  was  reduced  fully  one-half  by 
starvation  and  wars. 

The  next  chapter  has  to  do  with  Kitchener's 
campaign.  With  that  remarkable  combination  of 
power,  Egyptian  perseverance  and  endurance,  and 
English  leadership  and  training.  General  Kitchener 
succeeded  in  stemming  the  tide  of  the  Mahdi  inva- 
sion of  Egypt,  then  repelled  it,  and  at  last  after 
a  series  of  campaigns  extending  over  fourteen 
years,  crushed  the  Mahdi  movement  and  its  king- 
dom. The  last  great  battle  was  that  of  Omdur- 
man,  memorable  in  awful  carnage.    Ten  thousand 


AN  HISTORICAL  RETROSPECT  29 


corpses  strewed  the  battle-field  of  Omdurman  as 
the  sun  set  behind  the  hills  of  Kerreri.  But  the 
death  of  these  ushered  in  new  life  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Sudan.  Thus  we  come  to  the  Sudan  of 
to-daj. 


Ill 


A  DESERT  JOURNEY 

The  journey  from  Wadi  Haifa  to  Khartum  is 
made  simple  and  easy  by  means  of  the  Military 
Railway,  although  the  accommodations  of  the 
ordinary  passenger  train  leave  much  to  be  de- 
sired. 

It  is  practically  a  desert  journey  of  nearly  six 
hundred  miles.  The  line  of  railway  starts  out  in 
a  direction  that  leads  away  from  the  river  into  the 
desert.  Although  the  speed  with  which  the  train 
moves  off  is  exceedingly  moderate,  yet  its  course 
desertward  is  so  direct  that  the  river,  with  its 
fringe  of  palms  and  of  green,  is  very  soon  lost 
to  sight,  and  all  around  is  a  great  sea  of  sand,  with 
waves  of  yellow  gold  and  rocks  of  polished  stone 
projecting  above  the  surface. 

Ordinarily  there  is  not  much  in  this  ride  to 
divert  the  mind ;  yet  all  is  so  strange  that  it  has  an 
interest  of  its  own  and  one  cannot  help  but  keep 
on  the  watch  for  something  new.  The  changing 
mirages  of  great  lakes  or  of  green  fields  fringed 
with  palms  relieve  the  monotony. 

It  was  on  this  first  part  of  the  journey  that  for 

30 


A  DESERT  JOURNEY 


31 


the  first  time  I  saw  the  Southern  Cross.  I  was 
awakened  at  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
to  have  a  look  at  it.  Even  then,  half  asleep  as 
I  was,  I  agreed  fully  with  Mark  Twain  that  it 
was  not  much  of  a  constellation,  but  later  I  came 
to  think  better  of  it,  for  all  the  starry  hosts  became 
my  friends  in  that  country  where  a  man's  house 
is  for  shelter  from  the  sun  by  day  and  the  great 
canopy  of  heaven  is  his  chamber  by  night. 

It  is  said  that  the  constellation  can  be  seen  183 
miles  north  of  Wadi  Haifa,  but  this  cannot  be 
with  any  degree  of  distinctness.  However,  going 
south  from  Wadi  Haifa  it  is  generally  visible,  some 
time  during  the  night  season,  if  one  remains  up 
late  enough  or  rises  early  enough  to  find  it. 

The  night  in  the  desert  is  always  cool  and  some- 
times very  cold ;  but  it  has  been  my  experience  that 
the  chill  of  the  desert  does  no  injury  to  one's  health, 
unless  it  comes  on  too  suddenly.  Indeed,  it  acts 
like  a  tonic  and  you  rise  refreshed.  There  is  a 
feeling  altogether  different  from  what  is  experi- 
enced after  a  night  in  a  close  room.  Almost  stiff 
with  cold,  a  little  exercise  brings  a  warmth  and 
glow,  and  the  chill  quickly  passes  off. 

All  night  long  the  train  moves  through  the 
sandy  plain,  at  rather  a  slow  pace,  to  be  sure,  but 
it  moves  and  you  are  grateful.  If  it  were  not  for 
this  railway  we  would  be  compelled  to  make  the 


THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


journey  by  camel  train  or  not  make  it  at  all;  and 
so,  by  comparison,  the  slowness  of  speed  or  lack 
of  conveniences  are  unnoticed,  or  if  noticed  they 
are  minimized.  This  is  the  philosophy  of  a  desert 
journey  and  it  is  the  only  way  to  get  satisfaction 
out  of  it. 

Here  in  the  desert  stations  are  given  numbers 
instead  of  names,  because,  as  I  suppose,  there  are 
no  natural  objects  or  beings  bearing  names  with 
which  to  associate  them.  At  daylight  we  were  at 
"  Number  Six,"  and  I  find  this  note  in  my  diary, 
made  while  on  my  second  journey  in  1900: 

"  *  Number  Six,''  December  7th.  We  arrived 
here  at  about  eight  o'clock  this  morning  after  mak- 
ing ever  so  many  stops  during  the  night.  The 
paymaster  is  on  the  train  and  so  we  stop  wherever 
there  are  men  at  work  along  the  line.  Each  man 
is  paid  separately  into  his  own  hand.  These  work- 
men are  all  soldiers.  Sometimes  there  are  as  many 
as  fifty  or  sixty  of  them  in  one  squad,  and  it  takes 
time.  At  the  rate  the  train  moves,  one  would  sup- 
pose this  could  all  be  done  without  stopping,  but 
no  one  seemed  to  think  of  this.  However,  we 
expect  to  go  slow  here  in  the  desert. 

"  '  Number  Six '  is  on  the  old  Korosko  caravan 
route,  the  one  General  Gordon  passed  over  on  his 
way  to  Khartum  in  1884,  when  he  went  to  his 
martyrdom.    Poor  Gordon!  had  there  been  a  rail- 


A  DESERT  JOURNEY 


way  then,  possibly  he  would  now  be  alive  and  things 
in  the  Sudan  altogether  different.  But  who 
knows?  Gordon's  death  was  one  of  the  necessary 
sacrifices  in  the  redemption  of  the  country. 

"  Our  old  engine  seems  to  be  in  a  state  of  collapse 
and  they  have  '  run  it  in  for  repairs '  while  our 
saloon  car  is  out  in  the  desert.  But  we  have  com- 
pany, be  it  good  or  bad.  In  the  box  in  front  of  us 
— we  cannot  call  it  a  car — are  some  of  our  steamer 
associates,  keeping  jcool  on  whisky  and  soda. 
Scotch  whisky,  '  made  by  Buchanan  Brothers,  Dis- 
tillers to  the  Prince  of  Wales '  and  to  anybody 
else  who  wishes  to  buy.  Every  few  minutes  we  can 
hear  the  pop  of  the  soda  bottle.  It  takes  a  lot  of 
the  stuff  to  keep  them  cool  here  in  the  desert. 

"  December  8th,  1900,  We  left  *  Number  Six  ' 
repair  shops  at  about  nine  o'clock  last  night,  and 
after  going  for  an  hour  or  two  had  another  break- 
down and  a  long  stop  for  repairs. 

"  We  arrived  at  Abu  Hamed  in  the  early  morn- 
ing while  it  was  still  cool  and  fresh.  There  is  a 
fine  view  of  the  river  here,  and  the  beauty  and 
freshness  of  the  scene  loses  nothing  by  contrast 
as  one  emerges  from  the  long  tedious  desert  ride. 
There  are  no  cultivated  fields  in  sight,  but  there 
is  a  green  ribbon  along  the  river  bank  and  some 
green  islands  in  the  rocky  bed  of  the  river." 

The  next  year  the  railroad  management  ar- 


U         THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


ranged  baths  at  this  station  for  the  accommodation 
of  tourists  especially  and  the  good  of  all  travelers, 
and  now  it  is  "  thirty  minutes  for  a  bath  "  instead 
of  "  twenty  minutes  for  breakfast."  The  latter 
is  served  on  the  tourist  train.  There  are  no  longer 
any  "  out  of  the  way  places  "  in  this  world. 

"December  9th,  1900,  We  have  been  passing 
through  an  immense  plain,  which  is  desert  only  for 
lack  of  water.  In  fact  it  is  not  wholly  desert  land, 
for  mimosa  groves  cover  much  of  it,  an  indication 
that  it  is  not  far  down  to  water.  Old  wells  and 
broken  waterwheels  are  all  that  is  left  of  better 
days. 

"  The  railway  runs  through  this  plain  with  the 
palms  indicating  the  river's  line  always  in  sight. 
There  are  flocks  of  beautiful  gazelle  in  the  bush, 
but  the  shepherds  who  live  on  the  river  banks  herd 
their  flocks  in  the  better  pasture  lands.  Still 
it  is  a  dreary  life  in  the  present  condition  of 
things. 

"  To-day  my  one  thought  has  been  *  why  could 
not  this  immense  plain  be  brought  under  culti- 
vation .^^  '  This  thought  kept  presenting  itself  until 
I  concluded  that  it  could  be  and  would  be,  some 
day.  The  plain  is  perhaps  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  long,  and  Shendi  is  about  midway.  If  some 
wealthy  man  of  philanthropic  spirit  would  buy  a 
tract  or  tracts  of  this  land  and  install  machinery 


A  DESERT  JOURNEY  35 


for  irrigation  and  establish  an  industrial  mission, 
what  a  blessing  it  would  be  to  these  poor  people, 
too  poor  and  weak  and  ignorant  to  help  them- 
selves. 

"  To  teach  this  people  to  cultivate  the  land,  to 
build  their  houses  and  tend  their  flocks,  and  event- 
ually to  buy  their  own  homes,  would  be  a  work 
worth  doing  and  a  life  worth  living.  No  one  man 
would  see  the  beginning  and  end  of  such  a  scheme, 
but  such  a  work  would  be  a  grand  inheritance  for 
his  children  and  his  children's  children  and  the 
world. 

"  At  Shendi  we  were  provided  with  an  American 
engine,  built  at  the  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works, 
and  we  were  taken  at  express  speed  into  Halfaiyah, 
the  railway  terminus  of  North  Khartum.  It 
reminded  me  of  the  donkey  boys  of  Egypt,  who 
allow  their  crippled,  sore-backed  donkeys  to 
stumble  along  all  day,  but  just  as  they  come  to  the 
home  stretch,  with  much  flourish,  '  ha  '-ing  and 
prodding  of  the  donkey,  the  weary  rider  is  landed 
with  a  sort  of  triumphant  feeling,  provided,  of 
course,  he  does  not  land  on  his  head.  In  this  case, 
we  were  successfully  brought  into  Halfaiyah,  and 
our  saloon  car  was  run  out  into  the  desert  where 
we  could  sleep  and  snore  and  not  disturb  the  inhab- 
itants. 

"  December  lOthy  1900.    This  morning  as  day- 


36  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


light  was  appearing,  we  awoke  bewildered,  scarcely 
knowing  where  we  were.  Drums  were  beating 
(they  always  seem  to  be  beating  drums  in  the 
Sudan),  and  the  clans  seemed  to  be  assembling 
around  the  station,  which  was  decorated  with  red 
and  white  muslin  and  with  the  British  and  Egyp- 
tian flags.  Evidently  something  very  unusual  was 
the  cause  of  all  this  stir. 

"  As  we  were  switched  out  in  the  desert  well 
away  from  the  disturbance,  we  made  our  toilet 
leisurely  and  carefully  in  preparation  for  our 
second  entrance  into  the  Dervish  Capital.  On  the 
clean  sand  we  washed,  and  from  force  of  habit 
fastened  a  stiff  collar  to  a  stiff er  shirt,  and  sur- 
mounted it  all  with  the  regulation  white  tie.  We 
then  had  our  last  breakfast  of  dry  bread,  sardines 
and  coffee  in  the  car.  For  seventy-five  hours  we 
had  been  passengers  in  that  rickety  saloon  car  and 
we  shed  no  tears  upon  leaving  it.  The  car  was 
seven  feet  by  twelve  and  we  were  three  persons, 
with  beds  and  considerable  baggage.  We  appre- 
ciated regaining  our  liberty  once  again. 

"  We  called  porters.  Seven  men,  we  said,  would 
be  sufficient,  but  twelve  came  at  the  call  and  divided 
the  parcels  and  the  money  among  themselves 
according  to  their  own  law  of  computation. 

**  When  we  arrived  at  the  river  bank,  where  the 
boats  seemed  in  waiting  to  carry  us  over,  we  were 


AT  ABU  SIMBEL 


A  DESERT  JOURNEY 


37 


told  by  a  soldier  on  guard  to  '  stand  back  as  Lady 
Wingate  was  expected  by  a  special  just  due.'  So 
we  waited  at  a  respectful  distance  and  from  the 
top  of  our  bundles  watched  the  surging  half-savage 
crowd.  We  tried  to  convince  ourselves  that  we 
were  not  in  a  hurry;  but  after  an  hour  or  so,  as 
the  sun  became  hotter  and  the  sand  and  dust  from 
the  trampling  feet  became  almost  unbearable,  it 
took  very  sharp  reasoning  to  convince  one's  self 
that  there  was  no  necessity  for  our  getting  over 
to  Omdurman  at  once. 

"  As  the  time  for  the  train  approached,  two 
hours  later,  the  beating  of  the  drums  grew  more 
furious  and  the  confusion  more  bewildering.  Here 
women  danced,  there  men  danced,  and  in  still 
another  place  naked  children  were  dancing.  There 
was  a  general  rejoicing,  just  such  as  I  suppose 
they  had  in  the  days  of  the  Mahdi  and  his  successor 
when  a  victory  was  reported.  The  driving  sand 
and  the  heat  which  annoyed  me  only  added  zest 
to  their  music  and  dancing,  which  was  kept  up 
until  the  arrival  of  the  special. 

"  As  Lady  Wingate,  the  object  of  their  rejoic- 
ing, was  escorted  to  the  steamer  in  waiting,  the 
drums  were  beating  a  little  louder,  the  men  danced 
more  furiously,  and  the  women  gave  the  ear- 
splitting,  shrill  joy-cry.  It  was  all  over.  The 
vast  throng  dispersed  and  went  away  in  peace, 


38  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


perfectly  satisfied.  There  was  nothing  but  the 
flags,  and  the  red  and  white  muslin  decorations, 
and  a  few  harsh  palm  branches  to  remind  us  of 
what  had  taken  place.  We  crossed  over  in  a  postal 
boat,  the  Dal,  to  Omdurman." 


IV 


OMDURMAN— A  DERVISH  CAPITAL 

After  the  cruel  death  of  Gordon  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  Khartum  by  his  forces,  the  Mahdi  crossed 
the  river  to  the  west  bank  of  the  White  Nile  and 
there  in  the  desert  laid  the  foundations  of  the  cap- 
ital of  his  new  kingdom.  He  was  then  the  despotic 
ruler  of  the  numerous  Sudanese  tribes.  Some  gave 
him  homage  willingly,  some  through  fear.  His  sub- 
jects had  been  gathered  from  every  district  and 
every  tribe.  There  was  every  form  of  physique  and 
every  racial  type  that  the  various  tribes  of  the 
Sudan  afford.  There  were  Christians,  Moslems, 
and  heathen.  There  were  those  who  loved  the 
Mahdi  and  his  cause,  and  those  who  professed  to, 
but  hated  him  most  cordially. 

This  despot  had  many  advisers,  but  no  trusted 
friends.  To  bring  order  out  of  this  confusion 
would  have  appalled  the  heart  of  any  civilized 
ruler;  but  the  Mahdi's  ideas  of  order  were  really 
confusion,  and  it  is  not  supposed  that  he  ever 
worried  much  over  the  matter.  Each  of  his  sub- 
jects, whether  loyal  or  otherwise,  was  compelled 
to  become  architect  and  builder  and  the  new  capital 

39 


40  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


literally  grew  up  out  of  the  desert.  To  this  end 
the  gravel  and  sand  of  the  desert,  mixed  with  the 
under  stratum  of  clay,  furnished  all  the  material 
needed.  There  was  perhaps  never  a  city  built  for 
so  vast  a  population  where  so  little  wood  and  iron 
were  used  as  in  this  city  of  the  desert.  But  for 
each  house  constructed  there  was  a  corresponding 
hole  left  in  the  ground.  These  holes  afterwards 
became  receptacles  for  the  filth  and  refuse  of  the 
city.    This  wa-s  the  city  drainage  system. 

There  was  no  plan,  no  municipal  engineering 
or  interference,  no  street  commissioner,  no  "  city 
fathers."  While  there  was  a  "  boom,"  there  was 
no  rush  for  corner  lots,  for  there  were  no  corners. 
It  is  only  the  western  mind  that  works  in  straight 
lines  and  angles.  The  savage  and  the  Oriental 
follow  curves. 

The  result  of  this  aimless  building  of  a  great 
city  is  aptly  described  by  G.  W.  Steevens  in  his 
"  With  Kitchener  to  Khartum  "  written  just  after 
his  entrance  into  Omdurman  with  the  army  after 
the  last  battle. 

"  It  began  just  like  any  other  town  or  village  of  / 
the  mean  Sudan.  Half  the  huts  seemed  left  unfin- 
ished, the  other  half  to  have  been  deserted  and 
fallen  to  pieces.  There  were  no  streets,  no  doors 
or  windows  except  holes,  usually  no  roofs.  As  for 
a  garden,  a  tree,  a  steading  for  a  beast — any  evi- 

With  Kitchener  to  Khartum,  by  G.  W.  Stevens. 

Dodd,  Mead  &  Company. 


OMDURMAN— A  DERVISH  CAPITAL  41 


dence  of  thrift  or  intelligence,  any  attempt  at 
comfort  or  amenity  or.  common  cleanliness, — not  a 
single  trace  of  any  of  it.  Omdurman  was  just 
planless  confusion  of  blind  walls  and  gaping  holes, 
shiftless  stupidity,  contented  filth  and  beastliness. 

"  But  that,  we  said,  was  only  the  outskirts : 
when  we  come  farther  in,  we  shall  surely  find  this 
mass  of  population  manifesting  some  small  sym- 
bols of  a  great  dominion.  And  presently  we  came 
indeed  into  a  broader  way  than  the  rest — ^some- 
thing with  the  rude  semblance  of  a  street.  Only 
it  was  paved  with  dead  donkeys,  and  here  and  there 
it  disappeared  in  a  cullender  of  deep  holes  where 
green  water  festered.  Beside  it  stood  a  few  houses, 
such  as  you  see  in  Metemmeh  or  Berber — two 
large,  naked  rooms  standing  in  a  naked  walled 
courtyard.  Even  these  were  rare:  for  the  rest,  in 
this  main  street,  Omdurman  was  a  rabbit-warren — 
a  threadless  labyrinth  of  tiny  huts  or  shelters,  too 
flimsy  for  the  name  of  sheds.  Oppression,  stag- 
nation, degradation,  were  stamped  deep  on  every 
yard  of  miserable  Omdurman. 

"  But  the  people !  We  could  hardly  see  the 
place  for  the  people.  We  could  hardly  hear  our 
own  voices  for  their  shrieks  of  welcome.  We  could 
hardly  move  for  their  importunate  greetings. 
They  tumbled  over  each  other  like  ants  from  every 
mud  heap,  from  behind  every  dunghill,  from  under 


42  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


every  mat.  Most  of  the  men  still  wore  their  gibhas 
turned  inside  out;  you  could  see  the  shadows  of 
the  patches  through  the  sackcloth.  They  had  been 
trying  to  kill  us  three  hours  before.  But  they 
salaamed,  none  the  less,  and  volleyed  *  Peace  be 
with  you '  in  our  track.  All  the  miscellaneous 
tribes  of  Arabs  whom  AbduUahi's  fears  or  suspi- 
cions had  congregated  in  his  capital,  all  the  blacks 
his  captains  had  gathered  together  into  franker 
slavery — indiscriminate,  half-naked,  grinning 
the  grin  of  the  sycophant,  they  held  out  their 
hands  and  asked  for  bakshish. 

"  Yet  more  wonderful  were  the  women.  The 
multitude  of  women  whom  concupiscence  had  har- 
ried from  every  recess  of  Africa  and  mewed  up  in 
Baggara  harems  came  out  to  salute  their  new  mas- 
ters. There  were  at  least  three  of  them  to  every 
man.  Black  women  from  Equatoria  and  almast 
white  women  from  Egypt,  plum-skinned  Arabs 
and  a  strange  yellow  type  with  square,  bony  faces 
and  tightly-ringleted  black  hair;  old  women  and 
little  girls  and  mothers  with  babies  at  the  breast ; 
women  who  could  hardly  walk  for  dyed  cotton 
swathings,  muffled  in  veils,  and  women  with  only  a 
rag  between  themselves  and  nakedness — the  whole 
city  was  a  huge  harem,  a  museum  of  African  races, 
a  monstrosity  of  African  lust." 

Again  he  writes ;  "  Inside  of  the  Khalifa's  own 


OMDURMAN— A  DERVISH  CAPITAL  43 


enclosure  was  even  more  squalid,  an  even  more 
wonderful  teeming  beehive  than  the  outer  town 
itself.  Like  all  tyrants,  he  was  constantly  increas- 
ing his  body-guard,  till  the  fortified  enclosure  was 
bursting  with  them.  From  the  height  of  a  saddle 
you  could  see  that  this  was  only  part  of  the  cita- 
del, an  enclosure  within  an  enclosure.  Past  a  little 
guard-house  at  the  gate  a  narrow  path  ran  up  the 
center  of  it;  all  the  rest  was  a  chaos  of  piggish 
dwelling-holes.  Tiny  round  straw  tukis,  mats 
propped  up  a  foot  from  the  earth  with  crooked 
sticks,  dome-topped  mud  kennels  that  a  man  could 
ju»t  crawl  into,  exaggerated  birds'  nests  falling 
to  pieces  of  stick  and  straw — lucky  was  the  man 
of  the  Khalifa's  guard  who  could  house  himself 
and  his  family  in  a  mud  cabin  the  size  of  an  omni- 
bus. On  every  side,  of  every  type,  they  jumbled 
and  jostled  and  crushed;  and  they  sweated  and 
stank  with  people.  For  one  or  two  old  men  in  new 
gibhas  came  out,  and  one  or  two  younger  men 
naked  and  wounded.  When  we  offered  them  no 
harm  the  Khalifa's  body-guard  broke  cover.  One 
second  and  the  place  might  have  been  an  uncouth 
cemetery;  the  next  it  was  a  gibbering  monkey- 
house.  From  naked  hovels,  presto!  it  turned  to 
naked  bodies.  Climbing,  squeezing,  burrowing, 
they  came  out  like  vermin  from  a  burning  coat. 
"  Next  morning  the  army  awoke  refreshed,  and 


44  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


was  able  to  appreciate  to  the  full  the  beastliness 
of  Omdurman.  When  you  saw  it  close  and  by  the 
light  of  day,  the  last  suggestion  of  stateliness 
vanished.  Everything  was  wretched  and  foul. 
They  dropped  their  dung  where  they  listed;  they 
drew  their  water  from  beside  green  sewers;  they 
had  filled  the  streets  and  hhors  with  dead  donkeys ; 
they  had  left  their  brothers  to  rot  and  puff  up  hid- 
eously in  the  sun.  The  stench  of  the  place  was  in 
your  nostrils,  in  your  throat,  in  your  stomach; 
you  could  not  eat,  you  dared  not  drink.  Well  you 
could  believe  that  this  was  the  city  where  they 
crucified  a  man  to  steal  a  handful  of  base  dollars, 
and  sold  mother  and  daughter  together  to  be  di- 
vided five  hundred  miles  apart,  to  live  and  die  in 
the  same  bestial  concubinage." 

This  description,  to  one  who  has  never  seen  Om- 
durman, or  who  does  not  know  the  savage  races  of 
Africa,  may  seem  an  exaggeration;  but  I  believe 
it  is  as  accurate  as  it  is  vivid.  I  did  not  see  the 
place  until  more  than  a  year  after  the  time  of 
which  Mr.  Steevens  writes,  but  even  then  there 
were  all  these  signs  of  beastly  savagery,  although 
in  the  meantime  much  had  been  done  by  the  army 
of  occupation  to  clear  away  the  filth  and  relieve 
the  stagnation. 

It  was  estimated  that  the  population  numbered 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  thou- 


OMDURMAN— A  DERVISH  CAPITAL  45 


sand  of  this  unwashed,  conglomerate  mass  of  sav- 
ages. When  disease  became  epidemic,  which  fre- 
quently happened,  its  ravages  must  have  been 
terrible  and  the  conditions  indescribable. 

The  huts  were  jumbled  together  for  five  or  six 
miles  along  the  river  front  and  two  or  three  miles 
back  into  the  desert.  More  than  half  of  them 
were  deserted  ruins.  During  our  residence  in  Om- 
durman  it  was  our  frequent  diversion  from  work 
to  walk  through  these  deserted  portions  of  the 
city  and  re-people  them,  and  imagine  the  scenes 
that  must  have  been  witnessed  there.  Omdurman 
had  a  strange  fascination  for  me.  At  times,  how- 
ever, it  was  rather  gruesome,  and  one  could  al- 
most fancy  ghosts  flitting  among  the  crumbling 
walls. 

The  population  of  Omdurman  is  made  up  of 
strange  types  from  the  numerous  Sudanese  tribes. 
Better  times  that  have  accompanied  the  new  order 
of  things  have  made  a  very  marked  change  in  the 
appearance  of  many  of  the  inhabitants.  They  are 
better  clothed,  and  better  fed,  and  manifestly  hap- 
pier than  when  I  first  saw  them,  or  when  Mr.  Stee- 
vens  described  them  in  1898.  The  number  of 
women  still  preponderates  over  that  of  the  men, 
but  even  this  condition  is  becoming  more  nearly 
normal.  However,  the  number  of  old  women  and 
the  less  desirable  of  the  younger  women,  who  have 


46  THE  EGYTIAN  SUDAN 


been  forsaken  by  their  husbands  and  masters,  form 
a  sad  commentary  on  the  system  that  prevails 
among  all  Moslem  peoples.  Elsewhere,  perhaps, 
it  is  not  so  easy  for  a  Moslem  to  get  rid  of  his 
wives,  and  it  is  more  difficult  to  replace  them  by 
new  ones,  but  the  principle  is  the  same.  Here,  the 
conditions  that  have  prevailed  have  caused  the 
whole  system  of  polygamy  and  concubinage  to 
show  its  ugliness.  The  estimate  that  men  are  taught 
to  place  upon  womankind,  even  their  lawful  wives 
and  daughters,  assigns  them  to  an  inferior  place, 
and  brings  woman  into  the  position  of  a  slave,  a 
concubine,  or  a  beast.  Truly,  in  the  Moslem  world 
"  the  whole  creation  groaneth  waiting  for  the  re- 
demption of  the  hody  "  as  nowhere  else  in  the 
world. 

Then,  too,  the  conditions  of  the  Mahdi  reign 
worked  distress  for  many  women  and  children 
whose  husbands  and  fathers  were  slain  in  battle  or 
died  of  pestilence.  In  the  battle  of  Omdurman 
alone  eleven  thousand  or  more  perished.  Who  can 
tell  how  many  women  were  widowed  and  children 
left  fatherless  from  this  cause  alone.  Every  day, 
in  the  markets  and  streets,  one  meets  with  some  of 
these  and  often  they  show  unmistakable  signs  of 
distress.  It  is  true  that  someone  may  have  taken 
the  widow  and  added  her  to  his  already  numerous 
concubines,  and  adopted  the  children  into  slavery ; 


OMDURMAN— A  DERVISH  CAPITAL  47 


but  this  changing  of  their  condition  only  adds  new 
horror  to  their  miserable  lives. 

I  have  recorded  in  my  notebook  an  incident 
that  came  under  our  notice  while  living  in  Omdur- 
man.  I  insert  it  here  as  an  illustration  of  the  sub- 
ject under  discussion. 

"  We  have  had  a  woman  carrying  water  for  the 
mixing  of  the  mortar.  She  is  as  black  as  the  noto- 
rious '  ace  of  spades.'  Her  face  has  reminded  me 
of  a  mummy  I  have  seen  at  the  museum  at  Cairo. 
She  has  beautiful  teeth,  and  at  times,  when  her 
face  lights  up  with  a  smile,  she  is  almost  hand- 
some. But  poverty  has  been  her  lot,  and  it  is 
clearly  manifest  all  over  her  bony,  half -naked 
body.  She  is  weak  and  ill-nourished,  and  when 
resting  quietly  there  is  a  look  of  sorrow  and  pain. 
Just  before  noon  to-day  she  was  standing  before 
the  door  when  another  woman,  perhaps?  a  little 
older  than  she,  but  with  the  same  black  skin  and 
much  the  same  features  and  expression,  came  up 
and  suddenly  held  out  both  hands  toward  our 
water-carrier.  Then,  without  a  word  or  cry,  or 
without  an  expression  of  any  kind,  they  clasped 
each  other.  They  held  on  and  hugged,  it  seemed 
to  me,  for  five  minutes ;  their  bodies  shook  and 
their  legs  trembled,  but  still  they  held  on  and 
hugged  without  a  word,  a  sound,  or  any  other  ex- 
pression of  emotion.   Finally  they  sat  down  on  the 


48  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


ground  facing  each  other  and  holding  each  other 
by  the  hands,  their  bodies  swaying  and  tears  Hter- 
ally  streaming  down  their  cheeks.  I  was  amazed, 
but  the  men  worked  away,  apparently  indifferent 
to  the  tragic  scene.  Occasionally  they  would 
glance  at  the  two  women,  but  not  for  long.  Finally 
one  of  the  women  e j  aculated  '  Thank  God ! '  and 
both  weeping  stared  one  at  the  other.  It  was  too 
much  for  me.  I  went  inside  and  wept,  too.  I  felt 
there  was  real  grief  or  joy  there,  too  sacred  for 
my  curious  gaze,  and  it  was  a  time  '  to  weep  with 
those  who  weep.'  But  my  curiosity  would  not 
allow  me  to  weep  long  until  I  found  out  why  I  was 
shedding  tears.  I  approached  them  and  asked  the 
cause  of  this  joy  or  grief,  whichever  it  was,  that 
so  overcame  them.  Then  one  of  them  told  me  their 
story : 

"  They  were  sisters.  They  had  married  in 
Khartum  and  lived  near  each  other  in  the  days  of 
General  Gordon.  Then  came  the  Mahdi,  and 
Khartum  fell,  and  their  husbands  were  killed  or 
lost  to  them.  They  had  been  separated  and  made 
slaves  of  other  men.  Each  had  supposed  the  other 
dead  long  before.  By  accident  they  had  met  that 
day. 

"  '  Have  you  children  ?  '  I  asked. 
"  '  Ah !  we  had,  but  they  are  gone,  too,'  was 
the  reply. 


OMDURMAN— A  DERVISH  CAPITAL  49 


"  *  Gone  where  ?  ' 

"  '  Oh,  master,  God  only  knows  where ! ' 

"  How  many  such  experiences  there  must  have 
been  during  those  days  of  the  Mahdi's  reign  of 
terror  and  that  of  his  successor ;  how  many  experi- 
ences similar  save  that  but  few  survived  the 
famine,  pestilence,  and  hardships  to  meet  again 
those  from  whom  they  had  been  heartlessly  sep- 
arated." 

This  and  many  other  like  incidents  helped  my 
imagination  wonderfully  as  I  walked  through  the 
ruined  capital  and  repeopled  it  again,  and  beheld 
the  devilish  drama  of  the  Mahdi's  reign  of  lust. 
It  drew  me  also  to  the  black  people  with  an  affec- 
tion and  sympathy  that  has  increased  as  I  have 
come  to  know  them  better  and  to  work  among  them 
and  for  them. 

No  other  place  on  earth,  perhaps,  has  witnessed 
more  hellish  savagery  than  this  city  of  the  Dervish 
despot.  It  was  built  of  the  most  perishable  mate- 
rial, and  it  is  well.  A  few  more  seasons  of  rain 
and  wind  and  much  of  it  will  not  be  traceable.  Like 
the  Mahdi  and  his  cause,  let  it  perish  forever  from 
the  face  of  the  earth.  Even  the  history  of  these 
events  can  be  helpful  only  to  teach  us  what  the 
world  would  be  without  the  influence  of  the  Christ 
life;  other  than  that,  it  is  a  page  of  history  better 
blotted  out  forever. 


50  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  the  beautiful  new 
capital — Khartum — with  well  planned  streets, 
clean  and  neat  new  houses,  shaded  avenues  and 
gardens;  offices,  banks  and  markets;  with  new  life 
and  aims  and  ambitions,  stands  in  beautiful  con- 
trast to  this  old  capital,  "full  of  the  habitations 
of  horrid  cruelty  "  and  dead  men's  bones. 


V 


THE  SUDAN  CAPITAL— KHARTUM 

Halfaiyah  (Khartum,  North)  is  the  terminus  of 
the  Sudan  MiHtary  Railway,  and  about  five  hun- 
dred and  eighty  miles  distant  from  Wadi  Haifa. 
It  is  not  a  town,  but  a  railway  station  and  a  boat 
landing — simply  a  place.  However,  there  is  plenty 
of  room  for  a  city,  as  large  as  Chicago,  if  you 
please,  and  as  the  Sudan  trade  with  the  outside 
world  increases,  as  it  must  (all  good  things  for 
the  Sudan  are  in  the  future  tense),  there  will 
gradually  grow  around  that  station  a  town  of 
importance. 

Just  opposite  Halfaiyah,  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  Blue  Nile,  is  Khartum,  the  capital  of  the 
Sudan.  Khartum  has  a  sorrowful  past,  a  promis- 
ing present  and  a  bright  future — its  glory  is  yet 
to  be. 

Situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Blue  Nile 
among  palms  and  gardens  of  lime  trees,  the  pros- 
pect is  pleasing  to  the  weary  traveler  alighting 
from  the  long  desert  journey.  However,  it  must 
be  confessed  that  in  1899,  from  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  river,  the  prospect  was  more  pleasing  than 
the  reality. 

51 


52         THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


The  work  of  reconstruction  had  just  begun,  A 
plan  for  the  city,  the  future  capital,  had  been 
mapped  out,  and  the  enthusiastic  chief  of  the  De- 
partment of  Public  Works, — the  municipal  direc- 
tor,— thought  he  could  see  a  city  of  real  mag- 
nificence, where  the  ordinary  mortal  could  see  only 
heaps  of  dust  and  sun-dried  brick.  The  plans  pro- 
vided most  liberally  for  pleasant  avenues  and  wide 
shady  streets,  but  it  required  a  gxeat  stretch  of 
imagination  to  trace  these  anywhere  except  on 
the  map. 

The  work  of  destruction  was  going  on.  It  was 
the  completion  of  the  ruin  begun  by  the  Mahdi  in 
1885.  Evidently  the  new  order  of  things  would 
have  no  place  for  the  mud  walls  of  the  old  capital 
except  as  they  could  be  converted  into  new  mate- 
rial. Everything  had  to  become  new,  and  squads 
of  men, — ^soldiers,  prisoners  of  war  and  convicts, — 
were  busy  removing  the  dust  of  ruined  dwellings 
and  converting  all  into  new  material  for  the  con- 
struction of  modem  dwellings,  offices  or  shops. 

It  is  wonderful  what  has  sprung  up  from  that 
ruin  heap  during  the  past  three  years.  The  old 
rubbish  has  been  removed  or  passed  through  the 
fire  and  has*  come  out  red  square  brick ;  the  plan  of 
the  city  has  become  recognizable  in  the  magnifi- 
cent avenues;  streets  have  been  graded  and  mac- 
adamized; houses  have  been  built,  markets  con- 


THE  SUDAN  CAPITAL— KHARTUM  53 


structed,  banks  and  offices  for  business  established, 
and  the  permanent  population  has  increased  many 
fold. 

Old  Khartum,  which  was  a  city  of  a  half -civil- 
ized people  only,  has  been  converted  into  a  new 
city  built  of  quite  different  material  and  possess- 
ing altogether  new  forms,  and  this  new  Khartum 
has  been  prepared  for  a  civilized  population.  The 
conception  and  energizing  force  came  from  the 
West.  An  ambitiion  has  been  roused  which  will 
never  die  until  the  reconstruction  of  the  whole 
country  and  the  regeneration  of  the  entire  popu- 
lation of  the  Sudan  is  accomplished.  A  new  life 
has  come  into  this  ancient  people  who  were  almost 
dead.  Already  Christianity  has  done  more  in  two 
or  three  years,  even  out  of  the  ruin  which  had  been 
wrought,  than  centuries  of  Islam. 

When  we  think  of  the  thousands  who  died  or 
were  slain,  the  price  of  this  political  change  seems 
too  great;  but  if  the  blood  of  the  slain  is  for  the 
redemption  of  the  millions,  it  takes  on  a  new  value. 
In  the  midst  of  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the 
new  order  of  things,  even  Gordon's  death  has  a 
new  meaning.  Here  alone,  unaided  by  any  other 
human  life  or  sustained  by  any  human  sympathy, 
the  Christian  soldier  did  his  duty  unto  death.  It 
was  a  life  amd  death  of  magnificent  power.  I  be- 
lieve I  will  hardly  be  contradicted  by  any,  when  I 


54  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


say  that  this  was  the  power  that  drew  that  army 
for  years  across  that  great  desert  at  a  terrible  cost 
of  humafli  suffering  and  life.  There  may  have 
been  other  forces  at  work,  but  all  together  would 
have  failed  without  the  drawing  power  of  this  con- 
secrated life  and  this  unselfish  death,  moving  upon 
the  hearts  of  his  fellow  countrymen. 

Egypt  deserves  her  share  of  credit  and  glory; 
but  Egypt  without  England  would  have  been  help- 
less— helpless  because  there  wa-s  no  patriotism,  no 
national  self-respect  to  sustain  her  and  no  material 
gain  to  move  her.  Without  England,  Egypt  would 
have  given  up  the  struggle  long  before  any  suc- 
cessful isGu^  was  reached.  Neither  would  the 
desire  for  gain  have  animated  England  in  this  long 
weary  struggle  with  the  desert.  Gain,  I  believe, 
will  eventually  come  to  England;  but  the  vindica- 
tion of  her  national  respect,  because  of  Gordon's 
death,  that  was  the  highest  motive  and  the  real 
power  which,  as  a  magnet,  drew  England  unwill- 
ingly on  to  final  triumph  in  the  Sudan. 

In  view  of  this,  then,  Gordon's  death  has  a  new 
and  precious  meaning,  "  Blood  goes  by  quality  " 
rather  than  "  quantity,"  and  the  blood  of  Gordon 
has  done  more,  perhaps,  than  that  of  all  others  in 
making  restitution  to  the  poor  people  of  the 
Sudan. 

Something  of  this  must  have  been  in  the  mintj 


THE  SUDAN  CAPITAL— KHARTUM  55 


of  Lord  Kitchener,  when,  almost  first  of  all,  he 
sought  for  some  fitting  monument  for  the  Chris- 
tian martyr  and  found  it  in  the  Gordon  Memorial 
College  at  Khartum. 

I  think  Gordon,  too,  must  have  felt  something  of 
this  when  he  willingly  laid  down  his  life,  though 
he  might  have  saved  it,  and  it  adds  a  sacredness 
to  the  place  where  his  life  was  poured  out,  and  it 
puts  a  h-alo  of  glory  about  his  death,  as  alone  he 
trod  the  death  vale,  very  closely  in  the  Master's 
steps,  and  we  can  almost  hear  him  say  in  the 
Master's  own  words :  "  Father,  forgive  them,  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do." 

"Whosoever  shall  lose  his  life  for  my  sake,  the 
same  shall  save  it." 


VI 


A  MISSIONARY  COMMISSION? 

It  was  toward  the  close  of  1889  that  my  first  visit 
to  the  Sudan  was  made.  The  journey  was  made 
in  company  with  the  Rev.  Andrew  Watson,  t).  D., 
of  the  American  Mission  in  Egypt,  and  the  Rev. 
A.  A.  Cooper,  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  So- 
ciety. Our  stay  in  the  Sudan  at  that  time  was  a 
brief  one,  for  we  had  been  sent  there  merely  on  a 
mission  of  inspection.  The  American  United  Pres- 
byterian Mission,  operating  in  Egypt,  had  commis- 
sioned Dr.  Watson  and  myself  to  report  on  the 
prospect  for  mission  work  in  the  Sudan. 

After  the  battle  of  Omdurman,  which  virtually 
put  an  end  to  the  Mahdi  rule,  pioneer  tradesmen 
and  speculators,  who  are  often  very  useful  in  the 
development  of  a  country,  but  as  often  are  most 
harmful  and  troublesome,  made  a  rush  toward  the 
Sudan.  The  people  who  turn  toward  an  unsettled 
country,  such  as  the  Sudan  was  at  that  time  and 
still  is,  to  find  there  a  legitimate  living  from  trade 
and  industry,  must  necessarily  have  among  them  a 
large  element  of  the  adventurous  and  vicious. 

To  avoid  undue  haste  and  consequent  unpleas- 
56 


A  MISSIONARY  COMMISSION  57 


ant  results,  the  Government  placed  certain  restric- 
tions upon  all  classes  entering  the  country.  It 
was  evident  to  everyone  that  the  country  needed 
tradesmen  and  mechanics,  but  to  some,  at  least,  the 
necessity  for  missionaries  was  not  so  clearly  in 
evidence.  It  is  a  strange  prejudice  that  has  ob- 
tained among  a  certain  class  against  the  mission- 
ary, and  with  such,  almost  any  other  element  is  to 
be  preferred.  This  feeling  is  not  directed  so  much 
against  the  missionary,  as  against  the  cause  he 
represents. 

On  our  first  entrance  into  the  Sudan  in  1889, 
in  the  wake  of  the  Greek  and  Jew,  who  were  seek- 
ing gain,  one  met  with  very  few  who  did  not  look 
upon  missionary  enterprise  with  disfavor  and  as 
entirely  unnecessary, — as  both  foolish  and  harm- 
ful; an  intrusion,  some  insisted,  that  would  be  a 
source  of  great  danger.  Some,  very  intelligent 
and,  in  other  matters,  very  wise  men,  even  Chris- 
tians, could  see  no  necessity  for  it.  "  The  religion 
the  people  already  have,"  it  was  said,  "  is  good 
enough  for  them;  it  is  all  they  need,  and  all  they 
can  comprehend."  It  was  also  maintained  that 
"  Islam  was  a  stepping-stone  to  Christianity,"  and 
might  some  time  lead  them  up  into  the  broader  life 
and  light  of  the  latter. 

Yet,  in  contrast  with  these,  we  met  with  many 
from  among  the  military  and  Government  officials, 


58         THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


who  were  entirely  in  sympathy  with  the  mission- 
ary's work  and  realized  what  an  influence  for  good 
and  what  a  help  the  missionaries  could  be  in  re- 
moving from  the  minds  of  the  people  prejudice 
against  the  Government,  a  prejudice  that  was  well 
known  to  exist. 

Personally  we  have  always  been  treated  with 
consideration  by  the  officials,  and  in  this  have  no 
cause  for  complaint.  On  the  contrary,  we  have 
much  for  which  we  are  grateful  in  their  kindly 
treatment  of  us.  And  if  this  should  ever  come  to 
the  notice  of  these,  I  trust  they  will  accept  it  as 
an  acknowledgment  of  our  appreciation  of  their 
regard  and  of  the  many  favors  shown  us.  As 
difficult  and  trying  as  our  circumstances  some- 
times were,  they  would  have  been  infinitely  more 
so  without  the  help  and  sympathy  of  the  official, 
the  soldier,  and  the  clerk,  who  had  it  in  their  power 
to  favor  and  aid  us  at  times. 

The  American  Mission  is  widely  known  in 
Egypt,  and,  therefore,  we  carried  with  us  on  our 
entrance  into  the  Sudan  a  prestige  that  was  of 
immense  help.  At  almost  every  railway  station, 
or  on  the  train  or  steamboat,  at  the  telegraph  or 
post  office  window,  and  in  the  government  office  and 
store,  we  would  meet  someone  who  knew  us,  either 
personally  or  as  American  missionaries,  and  who 
were,  therefore,  ready  and  eager  to  help  us. 


A  MISSIONARY  COMMISSION  59 


I  wish  those  (and  they  are  not  a  few)  who  do 
not  fully  appreciate  the  value  and  influence  of  the 
educational  work  of  missions  could  make  this  tedi- 
ous and  tiresome  journey  in  company  with  a  mis- 
sionary. I  know  of  no  better  means  of  convincing 
the  doubter  of  the  value  of  mission  schools.  The 
personal  help  and  favors  one  receives  on  such  a 
journey  add  much  to  the  pleasure  of  the  trip,  but, 
far  more  than  this,  they  witness  to  a  removal  of 
prejudice  to  Christianity  and  a  genuine  apprecia- 
tion of  the  influences  exerted  and  the  training 
imparted  by  the  mission  schools  in  the  lives  of 
these  young  men.  Then,  too,  what  of  the  influence 
which  these  young  men  exert  all  along  the  valley 
from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Equator?  What 
of  the  influence  of  their  more  intelligent  and  more 
moral  life? 

Even  though  some  of  them  are  very  weak  and 
the  inner  light  has  almost  gone  out  (small 
wonder  sometimes!),  yet  it  is  always  easier  to 
deal  with  the  people  and  to  begin  mission  work 
among  them  in  places  where  these  young  men  are 
found,  than  elsewhere, — evidence  of  the  influence 
for  good  which  emanates  from  their  lives. 

This  leads  to  another  remark  concerning  these 
young  men.  We  are  often  severe  and  unjust  in 
our  judgment  of  these  lives,  as  perhaps  of  all 
Christians  who  have  recently  been  brought  out  of 


60  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


the  darkness  of  their  ignorance  and  superstition 
into  the  hght  of  the  Gospel.  We  set  up  too  high  a 
standard  in  judging  them;  one  that  even  we,  with 
all  our  superior  advantages,  fail  to  reach.  For 
myself,  I  know  that  my  life  and  experience  with 
these  young  men  and  others  similarly  situated  has 
taught  me  to  use  a  more  tender  charity.  It  has 
led  me  to  a  better  appreciation  of  their  worth,  and 
I  appreciate  more  fully  the  power  of  the  Gospel 
not  only  to  sustain  a  man's  spiritual  life,  but  to 
use  even  those  who  have  had  but  slight  advantage, 
— little  light,  partial  instruction  only, — for  shed- 
ding light  under  circumstances  of  the  great- 
est difficulty  and  in  the  midst  of  the  grossest 
darkness. 

Returning  from  our  first  visit  to  the  Sudan,  a 
mere  missionary  reconnaissance,  we  recommended 
to  the  Missionary  Association  that  work  be  under- 
taken in  Northern  Sudan,  including  the  Blue  Nile 
region.  This  was  thought  especially  desirable  in 
order  that  the  native  Evangelical  Church  of 
Egypt  might  become  interested  and  be  induced  to 
send  workers  at  her  own  expense.  It  was  hoped 
that  the  reflex  influence  would  put  new  life  into 
the  Church  in  Egypt,  enable  her  to  get  a  new  view 
of  the  Gospel,  and  realize  more  fully  her  own  mis- 
sionary obhgations.  Then,  too,  our  missionaries 
in  Egypt,  all  speaking  the  Arabic  language, — 


A  MISSIONARY  COMMISSION  61 


which  Is  the  language  of  Northern  Sudan, — 
would  be  ready  to  enter  at  once  upon  the  work 
along  with  young  educated  Egyptians.  The  Mis- 
sion in  Egypt  approved  this  report,  but  did  not 
heartily  recommend  to  the  Board  and  Church  in 
America  to  begin  work  at  that  time,  because 
neither  the  available  funds  nor  men  seemed  to 
warrant  this  advance  movement.  For  some  rea- 
son, perhaps  because  of  general  financial  condi- 
tions at  home,  the  Church  had  not  been  promising 
to  her  Missions  in  Egypt  and  India  the  support 
that  was  needed.  The  missionaries  were  hampered, 
aggressive  work  could  not  be  undertaken  in  these 
old  fields,  and  it  wa«,  therefore,  thought  unwise 
to  undertake  anything  additional  until  the  interest 
at  home  aCnd  the  financial  support  were  greatly 
increased  and  additional  workers  were  sent  forth. 

But  to  the  credit  of  the  Church  in  America,  it 
must  be  recorded  that  she  did  not  take  the  same 
discouraging  view  of  the  matter.  What  the  influ- 
ences were  which  were  brought  to  bear  on  the 
General  Assembly  of  1900  I  do  not  know,  but  the 
Mission  in  Egypt  was  directed  to  send  mission- 
aries to  the  Sudan.  Accordingly  the  Association 
in  July  of  the  same  year,  complying  with  the  direc- 
tions of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  appointed 
two  missionaries,  viz.,  H.  T.  McLaughlin,  M.  D., 
and  the  writer. 


62         THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


This  appointment  involved  a  trying  "  going- 
out  "  from  home  and  old  associations.  Three  times 
before  had  I  passed  through  a  similar  experience, — 
in  1881,  when  I  left  my  native  land  for  work  in 
Egypt;  in  1888,  when  I  was  appointed  to  certain 
work  in  the  villages  of  Upper  Egypt;  in  1892, 
when  I  was  appointed  to  work  in  Tanta.  Now 
again  in  1900  I  was  under  a  new  appointment, 
and  this  time  to  the  Sudan.  This  was,  perhaps, 
the  severest  trial  of  all.  On  former  occasions 
youth  and  hope  and  ignorance  of  all  that  was  be- 
fore me  softened  the  trial  of  those  former  partings. 
But  now  nineteen  years  of  my  best  strength  and 
manhood  had  been  given  to  Egypt,  and  the  ties 
thus  formed  with  the  missionaries  and  native  pas- 
tors and  teachers  were  to  be  severed.  It  was  not 
a  light  thing  to  leave  the  work  and  associations  of 
these  years  and  begin  a  work  entirely  new  and 
unknown. 

In  entering  upon  such  an  untried  field,  a  sense 
of  responsibility  to  one's  constituency  and  to  the 
Christian  world  at  large  is  an  added  weight.  Suc- 
cess means  so  much  at  the  beginning  of  things, 
and  failure  would  be  held  in  evidence  against  the 
cause  by  those  not  already  looking  upon  it  with 
favor.  The  conditions  were  peculiar,  and  the 
foundations  laid  would  need  to  be  deep  and  broad. 
Any  act  of  indiscretion  on  our  part,  either  in 


A  MISSIONARY  COMMISSION  63 


dealing  with  the  people  or  the  "  powers  that  be," 
might  affect  very  seriously,  for  years  to  come,  the 
cause  we  wished  to  estabhsh  in  the  Sudan.  How- 
ever, we  had  the  belief  that  one  cannot  utterly  fail 
while  in  the  line  of  duty.  At  the  same  time,  the 
experience  of  several  years  of  work  in  Egypt,  an 
experience  that  had  been  varied  in  kind,  came  to 
our  relief.  There  were,  also,  the  helpful  fellow- 
ships which  belonged  to  those  years  spent  in  mis- 
sionary service  with  others.  One  is  never  quite 
lonely  if  he  is  positively  assured  of  the  sympathy 
of  others,  though  they  be  separated  by  miles  of 
desert.  This,  too,  was  an  incentive  to  better  and 
more  careful  work. 

Just  as  we  were  about  to  leave  for  Omdurman, 
an  unlooked-for  hindrance  appeared.  "  The  powers 
that  be  "  had  to  be  consulted  and  our  proposition 
to  begin  work  in  Northern  Sudan,  with  Omdurman 
or  Khartum  as  a  center  from  which  to  work,  was 
met  with  a  positive  refusal.  We  were  informed 
that  no  Christian  mission  work  would  be  allowed 
among  the  Moslem  population  in  the  Sudan.  At 
the  same  time  it  was  pointed  out  to  us  that  we 
might  go  beyond,  to  the  black  tribes  of  the  White 
Nile,  with  liberty  to  open  as  many  stations  as  we 
wished  and  with  freedom  to  teach  the  people  the 
Gospel  as  we  pleased. 

This  was  quite  a  disappointment  and  we  were 


64  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


not  prepared  to  meet  it.  We  were  perplexed  as  to 
our  duty.  After  consulting  some  of  our  brethren 
and  the  President  of  the  Board,  then  in  Cairo,  it 
was  determined  to  go  on  to  Omdurman  and  be 
guided  by  our  own  judgment  as  to  how  we  should 
proceed  from  that  point. 

We  reached  Omdurman  on  December  10,  1900, 
and  began  to  busy  ourselves,  first  of  all,  about  a 
place  in  which  to  live  and  hold  meetings  for  the 
young  men  and  others,  who  were  already  in  the 
Sudan,  as  interpreters  and  clerks  in  Government 
service  and  as  tradesmen.  There  were  more  than 
seventy-five  of  these  who  were  members  or  adher- 
ents of  the  evangelical  churches  of  Egypt  and 
Syria.  Mr.  Gebera  Hanna,  a  licensed  minister  from 
the  Presbytery  of  the  Delta  of  Egypt,  accom- 
panied us  and  took  charge  of  these  meetings,  and 
has  since  continued  to  hold  meetings  in  Omdur- 
man, Khartum  and  Halfaiyah,  with  very  marked 
success. 

Dr.  McLaughlin  and  I  thought  it  wise  to  try 
to  visit  the  districts  of  the  White  Nile,  and  find 
out  what  would  be  the  prospect  for  mission  work 
among  the  black  tribes,  so  as  to  give  an  intelligent 
report  to  our  Association,  and  through  it  to  our 
Church  in  America,  allowing  the  General  As- 
sembly to  determine  our  future  course  in  the 
Sudan. 


A  MISSIONARY  COMMISSION  65 


After  taking  this  trip,  we  returned  to  Egypt 
and  presented  a  report  of  our  exploration. 

At  its  next  meeting  the  General  Assembly  di- 
rected the  Mission  in  Egypt  to  appoint  mission- 
aries to  begin  work  at  the  point  we  had  selected 
on  the  Sobat  River,  about  five  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  south  of  Khartum,  among  a  tribe  of  blacks 
called  Shullas.^ 

Dr.  McLaughlin  and  the  writer  were  again 
chosen  to  undertake  this  work.  But,  again,  as  we 
were  ready  to  leave  Egypt  in  July,  1901,  our  for- 
mer privilege,  granted  by  the  Government  to  begin 
work  in  that  district,  was  withdrawn  and  we  were 
informed  that  we  could  begin  work  elsewhere 
among  any  of  the  "  non-Moslem  population  of  the 
Sudan,  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant  in 
any  direction  from  the  mouth  of  the  Sobat  River." 
The  reason  given  was  that,  in  the  meantime,  the 
Austrian  Catholic  Mission  had  occupied  a  position 
on  the  White  Nile  about  sixty  miles  to  the  north 
of  our  selected  position. 

This  came  to  us  as  a  very  great  surprise  and 
seemed  very  unjust.  We  felt  we  could  not  sub- 
mit to  this  judgment  without  at  least  making  a 
protest,  which  we  did.    But  to  come  to  an  under- 

1  The  term  ShuUa  is  often  and  commonly  rendered  Shul- 
luk  under  the  influence  of  an  Arabic  termination.  The 
natives  themselves,  however,  refer  to  themselves  as  Shullas. 


66         THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


standing  with  the  Sudan  authorities  on  this  ques- 
tion required  time.  In  the  meantime,  we  were 
directed  by  the  Association  to  go  to  Omdurman, 
remain  there  pending  a  settlement  of  this  question, 
and  then  to  do  what  seemed  best  after  knowing  the 
final  judgment  of  the  Government. 

Accordingly,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  McLaughlin,  Mrs. 
GifFen  and  I  left  Egypt,  September  5,  1901,  and 
arrived  in  Omdurman  September  SO,  and  thus  I 
made  my  third  entrance  into  the  Sudan.  We  re- 
mained at  Omdurman  until  arrangements  had  been 
made  with  the  Government,  and  we  were  allowed  to 
proceed  to  the  Sobat  in  the  enjoyment  of  all 
the  privileges  of  the  permission  formerly  given 
to  us. 

During  our  stay  in  the  Dervish  capital  we  found 
a  wide  field  in  which  to  occupy  our  time  profitably, 
in  helping  Mr.  Gebera  Hanna  in  his  meetings,  in 
house  visiting,  and  in  caring  for  the  sick.  We 
came  to  believe  that  at  Omdurman,  Khartum,  and 
the  surrounding  district  there  was  a  wide  field  for 
missionary  work.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hall,  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  had  already  gained 
the  confidence  and  affection  of  the  people.  Noth- 
ing so  quickly  removes  the  prejudice  which  so 
often  hinders  effective  missionary  work  as  a  kind, 
consistent.  Christian  Hfe.  Mr.  Gwynne,  also  a 
missionary  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  who 


A  MISSIONARY  COMMISSION  67 


had  been  in  Omdurman  and  Khartum  since  1899, 
had  been  able  to  do  very  much  toward  the  removal 
of  that  strange  prejudice  to  which  we  have  made 
reference  in  a  former  chapter.  Mr.  Gebera  Hanna's 
work,  with  his  earnest,  simple  Gospel  teaching,  was 
producing  good  results.  All  these  influences  were 
having  a  marked  effect  on  the  attitude  of  everyone 
toward  the  missionary  cause. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  write  a  large  population 
was  still  in  Omdurman,  but  that  winter  the  Gov- 
ernment offices  were  removed  to  the  new  buildings 
at  Khartum,  and  since  then  there  has  been  a  steady 
flow  of  people  toward  the  new  center.  A  census 
of  Omdurman  was  taken  that  winter  (1900-1901), 
and  it  was  found  that  there  were  still  fifty  thousand 
people  in  the  old  Dervish  capital.  Most  of  them 
clung  to  the  old  tumble-down  place  in  the  desert 
and  were  very  loth  to  leave  it  f or  the  new  city.  To 
many  of  the  people  it  had  its  advantages.  Prop- 
erty was  cheap,  living  expenses  less  than  in  Khar- 
tum, and,  above  ail  else,  the  restrictions  imposed 
by  the  municipality  at  Khartum  were  dreaded. 
The  people  loved  their  savage  liberty.  Poverty, 
too,  prevented  many,  as  they  could  not  buy  prop- 
erty in  Khartum  nor  pay  the  expected  rents.  No 
doubt  Omdurman  will  continue  for  some  years  to 
be  a  center  for  a  large  population  unless  compelled 
to  leave  by  a  Government  order. 


68  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


Our  stay  in  Omdurman  came  to  an  end  March  4, 
1902,  when  we  set  out  in  two  sailboats  for 
the  southland,  but  the  difficulties  overcome  before 
this  start  was  possible  appeared  at  times  almost 
unsurmountable. 


VII 


THE  START 

While  we  waited  at  Omdurman  for  the  Govern- 
ment's permission  to  enter  on  mission  work  on  the 
Sobat,  the  best  season  for  work  in  that  district 
passed.  The  rainy  season  was  now  less  than  three 
months  distant.  The  winds  which,  during  the  win- 
ter months,  are  from  the  north,  now  changed  to 
the  south.  The  weather  was  hot.  It  would  re- 
quire nearly  a  month  to  get  ready,  and  who  knew 
how  long  for  the  journey?  When  we  would  ar- 
rive at  the  Sobat  there  would  be  no  houses  to 
shelter  us,  and  who  could  calculate  how  long  it 
would  require  to  build  even  the  rudest  shelter?  We 
had  our  tents,  but  they  were  small,  with  single  ply 
of  canvas,  and  what  protection  would  these  afford 
from  tropical  heat  and  rain  storms?  How  would 
the  people  receive  us?  Would  they  help  us  pre- 
pare for  the  rains?  Would  they  work  for  us?  We 
had  been  warned  that  the  people  were  utterly  lack- 
ing in  ambition,  and  would  give  us  no  assistance 
whatever. 

There  was  no  end  to  problems  demanding  a  solu- 
tion, but  who  could  solve  them?  Should  we  go  or 
should  we  delay  until  after  the  next  rainy  season? 

69 


70  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


One  month  to  get  ready,  one  month  for  travel, 
and  one  month  to  build  our  houses.  This  would  be 
sufficient  if  everything  went  without  a  hitch.  But 
there  was  that  "  if." 

Other  questions  came  in  for  consideration.  How 
should  we  travel,  and  what  should  we  take  with  us  ? 
Should  we  go  by  sailboat  or  by  government  trans- 
port steamer?  The  latter  would  take  us  more 
quickly  and  with  more  certainty  as  to  time.  But 
it  was  much  more  expensive,  and  we  wished  to  take 
so  much  baggage,  provision  and  material  that  the 
expense  would  be  appalling.  The  sailboat  would 
be  less  expensive,  but  less  comfortable,  and  would 
afford  less  certainty  as  to  the  time  of  our  arrival. 
All  of  these  problems  had  to  be  considered  and  a 
decision  arrived  at  in  every  case.  There  was  no 
one  of  experience  or  whose  judgment  could  be 
trusted  whom  we  could  take  into  our  council.  In- 
deed, the  most  of  our  friends  were  miserable  com- 
forters. Some  said  we  were  foolish  to  think  of  it. 
It  was  a  terrible  country,  the  people  were  beastly 
savages  and  not  worth  trying  to  save.  The  fever 
would  overcome  us  before  we  would  get  there.  The 
mosquitoes  would  sting  us  to  death ;  "  they  were 
not  Httle  mosquitoes,"  said  one,  "  as  we  have  in 
Egypt,  but  they  are  like  that !  "  and  he  held  up 
his  hand,  meaning  between  thumb  and  finger,  about 
an  inch.   Another  tried  to  discourage  us  by  telHng 


THE  START 


71 


us  that  the  dust  up  there  was  something  indescrib- 
able, "And  it  is  not  nice  clean  dust,  such  as  we 
have  here,  but  a  dirty  black  dust,  just  like  the  peo- 
ple." Snakes  were  crawling  everywhere,  they  said, 
and  wild  beasts  were  roaming  all  over  the  country. 
The  river  was  full  of  crocodiles  that  might  snatch 
us  from  the  boat,  and  the  air  was  full  of  vultures, 
big  enough  and  vicious  enough  to  tear  us  to  pieces. 
To  listen  to  such  talk,  there  were  certainly  "  lions 
in  the  way." 

But  we  were  inclined  to  go.  The  delay  had  be- 
come discouraging  to  those  at  home,  who  were 
expecting  us  to  do  something  more  than  "  report 
progress,"  and  who  could  not  be  expected  to  fully 
understand  the  situation. 

There  were  dangers  certainly ;  greater  dangers, 
perhaps,  than  at  some  other  seasons,  but  these  had, 
no  doubt,  been  magnified.  On  the  other  hand,  we 
dared  not  act  rashly,  for  our  one  great  fear  was 
failure;  a  failure  that,  perhaps,  might  prove 
fatal  to  the  undertaking.  If  some  calamity  should 
overtake  us,  it  would  discourage  others.  After- 
events  might  prove  that  we  had  been  foolish,  or 
they  might  be  interpreted  to  mean  that  the  main- 
tenance of  a  mission  on  the  Sobat  by  white  mis- 
sionaries was  not  even  a  possible  thing.  So  much 
depended  upon  the  first  year  or  two.  At  last  we 
decided  to  go. 


n  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


As  to  the  method  of  travel,  the  open  sailboat 
was  determined  upon  as  being  less  expensive.  It 
is  no  easy  matter  to  arrange  an  agreement  with 
the  owners  of  boats.  Few  boats  ply  on  the  White 
Nile.  Some  would  not  undertake  the  trip  at  any 
price.  All  asked  exorbitant  sums,  and  it  required 
much  of  our  precious  time  to  arrange  terms. 

At  last,  everything  was  settled  and  a  day  fixed 
for  our  departure.  Two  boats  were  hired,  and 
these  were  to  be  overhauled,  cleaned  and  put  in  best 
of  shape  for  travel.  The  boats  used  on  the  Upper 
Nile  are  not  so  well  built  as  those  of  Egypt,  nor 
are  they  so  well  manned.  They  are  much  broader, 
however,  and  not  so  easily  capsized.  We  were 
often  very  grateful  for  their  breadth,  as  we  saw 
the  careless  handling  of  the  immense  expanse  of 
sail.  One  night  I  awoke  and  found  all  the  men 
asleep,  even  the  helmsman  flat  on  his  back  with 
both  feet  against  the  rudder,  while  the  boat 
scudded  before  the  wind. 

In  the  middle  of  the  boat  we  had  arranged  what 
was  to  be  our  home  for,  we  did  not  know  how  long. 
A  pole  was  run  along  the  center  of  the  boat,  just 
back  of  the  mainmast,  at  about  six  feet  above  the 
deck.  Over  this  we  fixed  cross  poles,  and  over  the 
poles  mats,  which  came  down  to  the  edge  of  the 
boat  at  deck  level.  This  gave  us  a  covered  space 
nearly  twelve  feet  square,  where  we  were  pro- 


THE  START 


73 


tected  in  a  measure  from  the  sun  and  had  more  or 
less  privacy — generally  less.  The  sailors,  who 
wore  only  a  loin  cloth,  did  not  seem  to  feel  any 
embarrassment,  and  had  but  very  little  respect  for 
the  privacy  of  our  apartment. 

Our  outfit  consisted  of  two  of  these  boats  and 
a  felucca,  or  small  rowboat.  The  McLaughlins 
occupied  one  boat  and  we  the  other.  On  the 
McLaughlin  boat  was  the  crew,  a  lot  of  provision 
and  baggage,  with  the  servant  boy.  Abbas,  and 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  McLaughlin.  On  the  Giffen  boat 
we  had  a  similar  crew  and  cargo,  and  about  two 
thousand  brick  for  ballast. 

A  boat's  crew  was  seven  men  and  the  captain, 
and,  in  addition  to  the  sailors,  a  slave  woman  who 
grinds,  bakes  and  cooks  for  them.  In  this  part  of 
the  world  no  boat's  crew  is  complete  without  such 
a  woman.  Then  the  captain  had  a  woman  with 
him,  ostensibly  his  wife,  or  one  of  his  wives.  There 
was  also  a  boy,  ten  or  twelve  years  old,  said  to  be 
the  captain's  son.  Also  a  man  called  Mohammed, 
whom,  I  think,  I  had  best  introduce  here,  as  he 
later  entered  much  into  our  affairs. 

Mohammed's  father  was  an  Arab  and  a  clerk  in 
the  Government  service  at  Khartum  before  the 
Mahdi's  time.  Mohammed  was  born  at  Khartum 
and  his  mother  was  a  Shulla,  of  the  tribe  to  which 
we  were  going.   When  Khartum  fell  into  the  hands 


74  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


of  the  Mahdi  Mohammed's  father  was  killed.  His 
mother  then  fled  with  him,  a  boy  of  about  twelve 
years  of  age,  and  succeeded  in  getting  away  to 
her  people  on  the  Sobat  River. 

When  Dr.  McLaughlin  and  I  made  our  first  trip 
of  exploration  on  the  Sobat,  a  year  before  this 
time,  we  were  met  by  Mohammed  at  his  village, 
Mai-nam,  where  we  remained  one  night.  He  was 
then  in  appearance  very  much  like  the  rest  of  the 
people,  except  in  the  color  of  his  skin.  We  were 
struck  with  his  appearance,  however,  and  espe- 
cially by  the  fact  that  he  spoke  Arabic  very  well. 
Indeed,  we  were  drawn  to  him.  Soon  after  our 
return  to  Khartum  we  met  Mohammed,  who  had 
come  down  on  business.  His  father  had  owned 
some  property  in  Khartum,  and  Mohammed's  busi- 
ness just  now  was  to  look  after  his  interests  in  this 
property.  His  business  matters  arranged,  he 
wished  to  return  to  his  people,  and  asked  for  a 
place  on  our  boat,  and  was  taken  on,  in  the  hope 
that  he  might  be  of  use  to  us. 

We  had  another  man  with  us,  an  ex-soldier.  He 
was  a  brickmaker  by  trade,  a  Moslem  by  profes- 
sion, and  a  Shulla  by  birth.  Our  intention  was  to 
use  him  to  help  us  to  build  our  houses,  but  he 
turned  out  to  be  a  bad  character, — killed  a  police- 
man and  threatened  the  life  of  the  Governor.  He 
was   court-martialed,   and,  having  been  found 


THE  START 


75 


guilty,  was  returned  to  Khartum  for  execution. 
Some  leniency  was  shown  him  and  the  sentence 
was  commuted  to  imprisonment  for  life.  He  after- 
ward committed  suicide.  He  was  a  complete  fail- 
ure so  far  as  we  were  concerned,  for  he  did  no 
work  for  us.  His  family,  a  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren, were  also  with  us  as  passengers  on  the  boat. 
In  all,  we  numbered  nineteen  souls,  and,  besides,  we 
had  Jok,  the  dog,  who  in  himself  was  quite  a  char- 
acter and  an  important  member  of  the  party. 

We  left  our  house  in  Omdurman  at  about 
11  A.  M.,  on  March  4,  1902.  This  is  a  date  to  be 
remembered  in  the  history  of  the  Sudan  Mission, 
and  is  of  special  interest  to  those  of  us  who  turned 
our  faces  to  the  south  that  day. 

The  boats  were  anchored  at  the  South  Gate 
landing,  and  a  mile  and  a  half  from  our  house. 
According  to  agreement,  our  captains  should  have 
had  everything  ready  to  start  immediately  on  our 
arrival  at  the  landing.  But,  alas!  an  agreement 
is  one  thing  and  the  performance  of  it  quite  an- 
other. Things  were  in  a  tumble  on  the  boats,  and 
confusion  reigned  supreme.  The  sailors  were 
holding  off  for  "  bakshish  "  and  they  were  en- 
couraged in  their  strike  by  the  two  captains.  There 
was  scolding  in  all  quarters.  The  cargo  of  bricks, 
lime,  lumber,  provisions  and  baggage  was  crowded 
around  everywhere  without  any  attempt  at  order. 


76  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


Every  place  was  full  both  above  and  below  deck, 
fore  and  aft,  even  the  private  apartments. 

But  all  such  snarls  untangle  if  one  only  waits, 
and  we  waited.  The  swearing  ceased;  everybody 
looked  sullen.  Then  a  second  agreement  was  ar- 
rived at  and  we  were  to  leave  at  four  o'clock;  but 
when  four  o'clock  came  there  was  no  sign  of  cap- 
tains nor  of  sailors.  We  simply  waited.  The  cap- 
tains did  not  put  in  an  appearance  until  the  next 
morning,  and  it  was  eleven  o'clock  when  we  set 
sail. 

The  start  was  made. 


VIII 


THE  JOURNEY 

The  wind  was  favorable  that  first  day,  and  sailing 
was  a  delight.  There  was  no  rocking  or  motion. 
Two  or  three  weeks  of  that  sort  of  boat-life  grows 
monotonous,  but  for  that  one  day  we  enjoyed  the 
laziness  of  it.  We  were  all  so  tired  that  we  could 
not  even  think  of  difficulties  ahead.  It  was  enough 
to  be  at  rest  and  at  peace. 

Leaving  Khartum  for  the  South,  the  river  banks 
are  low  and  flat  and  generally  fringed  with  green. 
No  hills  or  mountains  appear  anywhere,  except  far 
back  from  the  river,  isolated  peaks,  and  all  trace 
of  these  is  soon  lost  in  great  level  plains.  Flocks 
of  sheep  and  goats  and  herds  of  cattle  appear  all 
along  the  river,  and  especially  where  the  grass  is 
most  abundant.  There  are  many  islands  scattered 
along  the  river,  which  at  low  Nile  are  beautifully 
green  and  often  cultivated,  but  during  high  Nile 
these  are  all  inundated,  as  are  also  the  low  grassy 
banks. 

As  we  proceed  up  the  great  river  the  change  of 
scenery  is  very  gradual,  but  there  is  a  change. 
More  trees  come  into  view.    The  flocks  and  herds 

77 


78  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


continue  to  be  almost  everywhere  in  evidence,  but 
there  is  less  of  the  cultivated  land,  and  the  islands 
are  covered  with  tall  grass. 

The  population  becomes  more  sparse,  the  game 
more  plentiful,  and  great  flocks  of  birds  line  the 
banks.  The  crocodiles  and  the  hippopotami  are  a 
constant  source  of  diversion.  You  begin  to  realize 
that  there  is  a  gradual  change  coming  over  the 
w^hole  prospect  and  that  you  are  a  long  way  from 
home.  Long  lines  of  naked,  black  savages  appear 
on  the  banks.  Standing  on  one  foot,  the  other 
resting  on  the  knee  with  leg  akimbo,  and  lean- 
ing the  whole  body  on  a  spear,  they  curiously  gaze 
for  an  hour  or  more  while  our  boat  slowly  and 
silently  pushes  by.  We  return  a  curious  gaze  and 
meditate  and  wonder. 

Even  at  night  the  heavens  are  not  the  same  as 
you  have  always  known  them  to  be,  and  the  stars 
make  you  feel  you  are  among  strangers  and  give 
you  a  lonesome  feeling.  Generally  when  one  is 
homesick,  the  sky  at  night  appears  like  the  face 
of  a  friend;  here  it  is  the  face  of  a  stranger.  The 
"  Dipper  "  and  the  North  Star  are  away  down  on 
the  horizon ;  even  the  "  Milky  Way  "  has  wandered 
from  its  natural  place,  and  a  lot  of  new  denizens 
of  the  sky  whom  you  never  saw  before  have  moved 
into  the  south  side.  The  grunting  and  coughing 
of  the  hippopotami,  just  alongside  your  boat, 


THE  JOURNEY 


79 


does  not  conduce  to  sleep,  but  it  helps  you  to 
realize  that  it  is  not  all  a  dream. 

The  hippopotamus  is  an  ugly  brute  at  best, 
although  not  dangerous,  and  always  in  evidence 
along  the  White  Nile,  day  or  night.  What  is 
most  generally  seen  is  an  immense  yawning  mouth, 
although  frequently  the  whole  body  appears  above 
water  or  on  some  small  island.  Their  huge  tracks 
may  be  seen  everywhere  in  the  soft  mud  along  the 
banks. 

One  evening  as  we  were  sailing  under  a  very 
light  wind,  one  of  these  monsters  collided  with  our 
boat.  As  far  as  the  hippo  was  concerned,  it  was 
a  head-on  collision.  I  think  it  was  a  mistake  all 
around.  He  had  probably  been  cooling  himself 
after  the  heat  of  the  day  and  was  drowsing  under 
the  water  when  our  boat  gently,  and  without  noise, 
came  upon  him.  He  awoke  suddenly  not  knowing 
the  boat  was  there,  and  notwithstanding  the  heavy 
cargo  of  brick  and  lime,  he  lifted  one  side  of  the 
boat  with  a  jerk;  then  with  a  roar  dived  again  to 
reappear  a  hundred  yards  away,  snorting  and 
spouting  water  at  a  great  rate.  Someone  has 
raised  the  question  as  to  whether  a  hippopotamus 
ever  has  the  headache;  and  whether  the  whole  of 
his  head  aches  at  one  time  ?  If  so,  what'  a  head- 
ache this  fellow  must  have  had  that  night. 

Other  game  we  saw  on  that  journey,  but  at  a 


80  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


distance.  There  were  many  of  the  pretty  gazelle. 
They  were  not  at  all  wild,  but  seemed  to  think  they 
had  a  right  to  be  there.  One  felt  sorry  to  think  of 
their  being  hunted  and  shot  down.  Lions  we  heard 
once  only,  but  did  not  see  them,  and  at  one  place 
where  we  anchored  for  the  night  the  captain  for- 
bade the  men  to  go  ashore,  because,  "  there  were 
leopards  there." 

The  crew  proved  to  be  rather  a  decent  lot  of 
merry  men,  or  boys  rather,  and  were  not  hard  to 
manage.  The  cook,  homely  as  she  was,  was  evi- 
dently something  of  a  wit,  judging  from  the  roars 
of  laughter  that  came  from  the  men  when  she  set 
about  to  entertain  them.  She  must  have  been  some- 
thing of  a  philosopher  too,  or  she  could  not  have 
had  much  spirit  left  to  joke.  It  seemed  to  me  she 
did  as  much  work  as  all  the  rest  of  the  crew.  The 
place  she  worked  in  was  low  and  hot,  and  even  upon 
our  deck  in  the  open  air  the  smoke  at  times  almost 
stifled  us;  what  was  it  then  where  she  stayed? 
When  she  was  not  cooking  or  baking,  it  was  grind, 
grind,  grind.  We  often  mused  over  the  music  of 
her  grindstones.  Sometimes  it  was  like  the  sound 
made  in  milking  rapidly  with  both  hands  into  a 
tin  pail,  and  you  almost  expected  to  hear  the  milk 
maid  say :  "  So,  so,  Bossy !  "  Then  again  it  was 
the  sound  of  a  carpenter's  saw  or  plane. 

The  stones  used  for  grinding  are  like  those  used 


SOME  TALL  SHULLA  SPECIMENS 

/  Won't  Have  My  Picture  Taken 


ARABS  AT  FIRST  WOODING  STATION 

From  Khartum,  White  Nile 


THE  JOURNEY 


81 


in  Khartum,  and  Omdurman,  and  Northern  Sudan, 
where  they  have  stone.  The  lower  stone  is  about 
eighteen  inches  long  and  a  foot  wide,  and  has  a 
flat  surface.  It  is  placed  on  the  ground  at  an 
incline  of  about  twenty-five  degrees.  The  upper 
stone  is  small  and  oval  generally,  but  may  be  any 
shape.  It,  too,  has  a  flat  surface.  The  woman 
takes  the  small  stone  in  her  hand  and  kneeling  on 
the  ground  rubs  the  grain  to  a  powder  on  the 
large  one  with  much  the  same  motion  as  that  made 
in  washing  on  a  washboard.  All  the  time  she 
sings  a  cheerful,  but  rather  monotonous  song,  often 
jerked  out  by  the  motion  of  her  body,  while  the 
perspiration  and  hair  oil  flow  and  drop  down, — I 
will  not  say  where.  We  never  had  the  courage  to 
taste  their  bread,  which  was  baked  over  the  fire 
on  a  large  flat  earthen  plate  and  looked  like  a 
huge,  purple  griddle-cake.  But  these  were  won- 
derful cakes  to  the  men,  and  great  stacks  of  them 
would  disappear,  at  least  twice  every  day,  with 
no  other  relish  than  the  cook's  wit,  which  was 
always  ready  and  abundant,  and  responded  to  with 
peals  of  merry  laughter. 

Their  only  vessel  is  the  gourd,  and  like  the 
petroleum  tin  can  in  Egypt,  it  serves  many  useful 
purposes.  Of  all  sizes  but  of  only  one  shape, — a 
round  gourd  cut  in  two  equal  parts,  and  each  half 
making  a  vessel.    In  this  they  brew  their  marisa 


82  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


(a  kind  of  light  beer  or  fermented  drink).  This, 
too,  serves  as  a  measure,  as  drinking  cup,  as  wash 
basin,  as  soup  dish,  as  spoon,  as  milk  pail,  for 
every  purpose  for  which  you  can  use  any  vessel, 
be  it  made  of  precious  metal  or  common  earth; 
and,  besides,  it  does  for  a  covering  for  the  head, 
as  a  protection  from  the  sun. 

But  speaking  of  protection  from  the  sun,  re- 
minds me  that  care  in  this  particular  is  not  often 
observed.  The  theory  that  it  is  dangerous  for  man 
to  expose  his  head  to  the  sun  does  not  seem  to  be 
well  founded.  These  people  not  only  wear  no  cov- 
ering on  their  heads,  but  in  many  cases  their  heads 
are  shaved,  and  they  sit  for  hours  in  the  midday 
sun  without  any  apparent  inconvenience.  When  in 
Omdurman  we  were  told  that  among  the  blacks 
a  new-bom  child  is  put  out  in  the  hot  sun  for  a 
time  each  day,  for  the  first  three  days  of  its  life, 
and  "  after  that  the  sun  does  not  hurt  it."  We 
have  never  been  able  to  prove  this  statement,  but 
there  must  be  something  that  makes  these  poor 
black  heads  feel  the  heat  less  than  we  do. 

I  have  mentioned  that  our  privacy  was  not  much 
respected.  They  were  in  no  wise  embarrassed  by 
the  scantiness  of  their  own  clothing,  and  could 
see  no  reason  why  we  should  object  to  their  watch- 
ing us  make  our  toilet  in  the  morning.  Their  men 
wear  only  a  loin  cloth.    Their  cook  wore  only  a 


THE  JOURNEY 


83 


strip  of  cloth  wrapped  around  her,  covering  her 
from  the  waist  to  a  httle  below  the  knees.  Byyan's 
wife  wore  a  little  more  than  this,  but  the  little 
girls  and  the  captain's  wife  wore  only  the  girdle 
fringed  with  leather  thongs. 

All  the  women  have  their  hair  done  up  in 
hundreds  of  tight,  little  braids  and  oiled  with  fat, 
— tallow,  I  think  it  is, — until,  when  they  sit  in  the 
sun,  the  grease  runs  down  over  their  faces.  One 
has  much  more  charity  for  this  hair-oiling  custom 
after  spending  a  time  in  this  climate,  especially 
in  that  of  Omdurman;  for  in  the  dry  heat  one's 
hair  becomes  so  dry  it  almost  breaks  off. 

"These  little  braids"  (I  quote  from  Mrs. 
GifFen's  diary)  "into  which  they  arrange  their 
hair  were  a  curiosity  to  me  at  first.  No  woman 
can  comb  her  own  hair.  They  have  it  done  up 
about  once  a  month,  and  it  is  more  than  an  all  day 
job.  Firsi,  the  ointment  must  be  mixed.  I  do 
not  know  all  the  ingredients,  but  there  are  pow- 
dered cloves  and  cinnamon,  oil  of  sandal  wood,  attar 
of  roses,  and  some  sort  of  fat  or  oil. 

"  Then  the  old  ointment  must  be  washed  out, 
new  rubbed  on,  new  braids  made, — which  in  this 
short  woolly  hair  is  no  easy  matter  either  for  the 
operator  or  the  one  operated  upon — strings  are 
braided  to  the  natural  hair  to  seemingly  increase 
its  length,  and  then  a  rich  plaster  of  ointment  is 


84  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


spread  over  the  finished  work  of  art.  Even  Egyp- 
tian women  who  have  lived  long  in  the  Sudan 
follow  this  fashion  in  a  modified  fonn. 

The  oiling  of  the  body  has  an  excuse  in  the 
dr^mess  of  the  climate,  and  while  they  no  doubt 
do  use  for  this  purpose,  when  they  must,  castor 
oil  with  its  natural  perfume,  this  is  not  their  choice. 
Ordinarily  the  oil  is  higlily  scented,  and  not  in  the 
least  unpleasant  if  it  has  not  been  worn  too  long. 
Even  the  babies  are  oiled.  They  wear  never  a 
stitch  of  clothing  except  a  string  of  beads.  The 
babies  of  the  poor,  whose  mothers  must  work,  are 
tied  to  their  mothers'  backs,  and  the  little  bare 
heads  bob  up  and  down  in  the  hot  sun,  as  the 
mothers  carry  their  loads  on  their  heads  or 
shoulders,  or  go  about  their  work,  and  often  the 
babies  go  off  to  sleep." 

These  were  some  of  our  observations  and  medi- 
tations as  we  pried  into  the  public  privacy  of  our 
travehng  companions,  but  we  had  other  thoughts, 
at  times. 

Our  contracts  were,  that  no  traveling  should  be 
done  on  the  Sabbath.  There  seemed  to  be  no 
objection  to  this  clause  when  it  was  first  approved 
of  and  signed  by  both  parties.  Later  on,  however, 
when  the  wind  seemed  to  blow  from  the  north  on 
the  Sabbath  and  from  the  south  on  Saturday  and 
Monday,  it  seemed  to  the  captain  a  great  mistake 


THE  JOURNEY 


85 


to  tie  up.  But  the  Sabbaths  were  days  of  real 
rest  to  us.  Our  first  Sabbath  was  at  a  quiet  place 
near  Goz  Abu  Guma,  and  Mr.  Gebrail,  a  native 
Christian,  from  Egypt,  spent  the  day  with  us,  and 
I  am  sure  it  was  a  day  of  refreshing  to  him.  That 
morning  at  devotions  we  sang,  "  Let  the  rivers 
in  their  gladness  clap  their  hands,"  and  Mrs. 
Giffen,  noticing  how  much  the  ripple  of  the  water 
flowing  by  sounded  like  the  soft  clapping  of  hands, 
called  our  attention  to  it.  I  suppose  we  will  never 
again  sing  that  psalm  without  the  memory  of  that 
Sabbath  at  Goz  Abu  Guma. 

Farther  on,  the  population  grew  yet  more  sparse 
and  the  country  was  wild.  In  Mrs.  GifFen's  diary 
I  find  this  note : 

"  Where  we  are  anchored  this  morning  there  is 
not  to  be  seen  anywhere  a  boat  or  a  hut;  a  flock 
or  a  herd ;  man  or  beast ;  except  those  on  our  own 
boats  and  some  huge  hippos.  The  wind  is  blowing 
from  the  south  and  the  men  are  employing  their 
time  fishing.  They  have  just  now  caught  a  cat- 
fish more  than  a  yard  long." 

And  yet  we  are  told  that  this  very  section  was 
once  densely  populated.  On  the  right  bank  were 
Dinkas,  and  on  the  left  bank  Shullas ;  but  because 
of  the  frequent  raids  of  slave  hunters  and  the 
Baggara  Arabs,  they  "  trekked  "  south,  leaving  the 
country  almost  without  inhabitants.     Of  thi§ 


86  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


section  Dr.  Scbweinfurth,  writing  about  1870, 
says: 

"  The  Shulluk  (Shulla)  tribe  inhabits  the  entire 
left  bank  of  the  White  Nile,  occupying  a  territory 
about  200  miles  long  and  ten  miles  wide,  and  which 
extends  right  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gazelle  River. 
Hemmed  in  by  the  Baggara  on  the  west,  it  is  pre- 
vented by  the  river  from  extending  itself  farther 
eastward,  and  only  the  lower  course  of  the  Sobat 
has  any  of  the  Shulluks  for  its  denizens.  Their 
subjection  to  the  Egyptian  Government,  which  was 
completed  in  1871,  has  caused  a  census  to  be  taken 
of  all  the  villages  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Nile, 
which  resulted  in  an  estimate  of  about  3000  vil- 
lages. Now  the  Shulluk  land,  which  lies  upon  the 
White  Nile,  has  an  extent  hardly  less  that  2000 
square  miles,  and  when  the  number  of  heads  on 
this  is  compared  with  those  in  the  populous  dis- 
tricts of  Europe,  we  are  justified  in  reckoning 
from  600  to  625  to  a  square  mile;  a  result  alto- 
gether similar  is  arrived  at  from  a  reckoning  based 
on  the  estimate  of  there  being  3000  villages,  each 
village  having  huts  varying  in  number  from  45 
to  200,  and  each  hut  averaging  four  or  five  occu- 
pants; this  would  give  a  total  of  about  1,200,000. 

"  No  known  part  of  Africa,  scarcely  even  the 
narrow  valley  of  the  Nile  in  Egypt,  has  a  density 
of  population  so  great ;  but  a  similar  condition  of 


THE  JOURNEY 


87 


circumstances,  so  favorable  to  support  a  teeming 
population,  is  perhaps  without  a  parallel  in  the 
world.  Everything  which  contributes  to  exuber- 
ance of  life  here  finds  a  concentrated  field — 
agriculture,  pasturage,  fishing  and  the  chase. 
Agriculture  is  rendered  easy  by  the  natural  fer- 
tility of  the  soil,  by  the  recurrence  of  the  rainy 
seasons,  by  irrigation  effected  by  the  rising  of  the 
river,  assisted  by  numerous  canals,  and  by  an 
atmosphere  ordinarily  so  overclouded  as  to  mode- 
rate the  radiance  of  the  sun  and  to  retain  through- 
out the  year  perpetual  moisture." 

Since  Dr.  Schweinfurth  wrote  the  above,  calam- 
ity has  overtaken  the  Shullas.  Even  at  that  time 
the  slave  dealer  had  begun  his  nefarious  traffic, 
and  the  power  of  the  tribe  had  begun  to  wane; 
since  then  the  savage  reign  of  the  Mahdi  has  com- 
pleted the  ruin,  and  the  Shulla  tribe  does  not 
exceed  500,000  people. 

We  had  to  come  all  the  way  from  America  to 
Central  Africa  to  see  a  prairie  fire.  It  started  in 
the  tall  grass  on  the  bank  to  which  we  were 
anchored,  and  as  it  came  on  toward  us  it  cleaned 
up  everything  in  its  way.  We  were  devoutly 
thankful  that  our  house  was  not  stationary.  We 
moved  out  into  midstream  and  watched  the  fire 
raging  past  us. 

The  flame  and  smoke  was  the  signal  for  thou- 


88  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


sands  of  birds  to  assemble  for  their  prey ;  circling 
above  awaiting  their  opportunity  were  great 
vultures,  that  came  from  no  one  knew  where. 
Ten  minutes  before  the  fire  began  there  were  none 
to  be  seen.  Ten  minutes  later  the  sky  was  full 
of  them.  There  were  great  storks  on  the  places 
already  burned  over,  picking  up  their  prey  and 
filling  their  pouches.  No  doubt  thousands  of 
reptiles  were  destroyed,  as  also  a  large  number  of 
smaller  birds  that  nest  in  the  tall  grass  and  bush. 
The  people  start  these  fires  to  clear  the  country 
of  the  tall  grass,  and  to  rid  it  of  undesirable 
reptile  life.  It  also  improves  their  pasture  and 
allows  them  open  country  for  travel,  and  discovers 
any  wild  beasts  of  prey.  All  the  way  on  both 
banks  of  the  river,  in  the  smoke  by  day  and  the 
flames  by  night,  we  could  trace  these  fires. 

While  towing  our  boats, — the  towpath  was  over 
one  of  these  burnt  spaces — the  sailors  came  upon 
a  nest  of  crocodile  eggs,  and  then  there  was  a  per- 
fect scramble,  as  they  fairly  fell  over  each  other 
to  secure  the  eggs.  They  said  there  would  be  one 
hundred  and  one,  but  after  counting  out  one 
hundred  less  one  they  scratched  in  vain  for  the 
other  two.  It  was  supposed  the  old  mother  was 
not  yet  through  laying,  or  else,  rather,  had  quit 
too  soon. 

The  towing  of  the  boat  was  hard  and  often 


THE  JOURNEY 


89 


almost  cruel  work.  Of  course  we  were  anxious  to 
reach  our  journey's  end  and  did  not  restrain  them 
from  pressing  forward.  But  the  wind  was  con- 
trary, or  there  was  a  dead  calm,  and  there  was  no 
prospect  of  this  state  of  things  improving.  Yet 
we  had  to  push  on.  The  method  of  propelling  the 
boat  under  such  circumstances  was  to  attach  a 
long  rope  to  the  mast  and  the  men  would  all  get 
out  on  the  bank  and  pull  the  boat  along.  In  many 
places,  however,  the  tall  grass  was  still  standing 
and  the  blades  were  sharp  as  knives.  Where  the 
grass  had  been  burned  away  the  sharp  stubble 
remained,  and  the  men  often  returned  to  the  boat 
cut  and  bleeding  from  head  to  foot.  Another 
method  was  only  a  little  less  cruel.  It  was  to  shove 
the  boat  with  long  poles  reaching  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  river.  Four  men  on  each  side  and 
each  man  with  a  pole  planted  in  the  mud  and  fixed 
against  the  shoulder;  they  would  walk  the  length 
of  the  boat  and  back  again,  for  hours.  This 
bruised  and  cut  their  breasts  and  shoulders  until 
they  bled.  But  there  was  no  complaining  and, 
little  by  little,  with  the  help  of  an  occasional 
breeze,  the  five  hundred  and  sixty  miles  were 
covered  in  about  twenty-two  days. 

As  we  drew  near  the  Sobat  River  there  was  a 
little  more  nervous  excitement,  and  we  stood  and 
watched  the  eastern  shore,    Taufikiyah  is  about 


90  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


eight  or  ten  miles  below  the  junction  of  the  Sobat 
with  the  White  Nile.  It  is  the  military  station  of 
the  district.  We  had  a  short  stop  here  and  then  a 
favorable  breeze  carried  us  on  and  into  the  mouth 
of  the  Sobat. 

There  is  much  the  same  difference  in  the  color 
of  the  two  rivers  that  meet  here,  that  is  observed 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Blue  Nile  with  the  White 
Nile  at  Khartum.  And  strange  to  say,  the  native 
people — the  Shulla — call  the  Sobat  River,  Tulfi 
or  Blue  Water.  Just  where  the  Sobat  enters 
the  Nile  it  is  flowing  almost  directly  from  east  to 
west ;  while  the  Nile  at  this  point  flows  from  south 
of  west.  The  two  rivers  thus  coming  together  form 
a  wide  angle.  The  waters  at  the  meeting  are  dis- 
tinctly marked,  not  only  by  the  difference  in  color, 
but  also  by  a  little  ridge  like  two  furrows  thrown 
together,  capped  with  white  foam,  and  then  for  a 
considerable  distance  the  cloudy,  milky  water, 
which  indicates  the  mountain  stream,  can  be  dis- 
tinguished, but  is  at  last  lost  in  the  blacker,  muddy 
water  of  the  White  Nile. 

As  we  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Sobat,  and 
turned  eastward,  the  breeze  failed  us  and  then 
began  the  struggle  with  the  current  that  had  to  be 
overcome  by  towing.  The  excitement  grew  more 
intense  as  we  drew  nearer,  and  we  strained  our 
necks  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  site  pf  our  new 


THE  JOURNEY 


91 


home.  Our  boat  had  been  taking  the  lead  all 
morning,  but  just  as  we  were  nearing  the  landing 
place  a  sudden  squall  drove  our  boat  across  the 
river  and  above  the  landing,  and  by  the  time  we 
got  it  back  again  the  McLaughlins  were  there. 
The  journey  was  ended. 


IX 


FIRST  EXPERIENCES  AT  DOLEIB  HILL 

It  was  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of 
March  S7th  when  we  got  ashore  at  Doleib  Hill. 
Our  sails  had  announced  the  coming  of  boats,  and 
a  great  crowd  had  assembled  to  meet  us.  They 
were  all,  or  nearly  all,  men,  and  each  man  was 
armed  with  one  or  more  spears  and  clubs.  This 
was  no  unusual  display  of  arms,  for  always,  every- 
where, the  black  man  goes  thus  armed.  Of  course, 
these  weapons  are  not  very  effective  against  any 
considerable  number  of  guns,  but  they  would  have 
easily  been  sufficient  to  overcome  our  small  force; 
and  we  thought  of  that  as  we  stepped  ashore 
among  them,  and  tried  to  salute  the  crowd  with  a 
confident,  cheerful  smile.  We  never  could  know 
whether  they  were  pleased  or  displeased;  there  was 
rather  a  sullen  quietness. 

There  was  scarcely  a  man  of  them  that  had 
made  any  attempt  to  cover  his  nakedness.  They 
were  truly  a  savage  people,  and  as  primitive  in 
their  habits  as  can  perhaps  be  found  anywhere  in 
the  world.  Fortunately  they  are  not  vicious,  and 
are  rather  kindly  disposed.    But  the  first  sight 

92 


THE  NILE  FROM  THE  DELTA  TO  ITS  TRIBUTARY 
THE  SOBAT 

Doleib  Hill  is  situated  upon  the  north  bank  of  the  Sobat  River 
at  the  point  indicated  by  the  black  star.  The  spelling  of  proper 
names  on  this  map  is  in  some  instances  at  variance  with  the 
spelling  {based  upon  the  very  latest  authorities)  adopted  through- 
out the  book. 


EXPERIENCES  AT  DOLEIB  HILL  93 


of  a  throng  of  savages  suddenly  presenting  them- 
selves in  their  nakedness,  and  that,  too,  just  as  you 
have  come  from  an  extreme  civilization,  leaves  an 
impression  that  will  never  be  removed,  no  matter 
how  familiar  with  them  you  may  afterward  be- 
come. 

The  ladies  were  perhaps  the  chief  attraction  to 
the  crowd.  Many  of  them  had  never  seen  a  white 
woman  before.  Our  whole  outfit  must  have  been 
of  extreme  interest,  judging  from  the  outbursts 
of  astonishment  that  came  from  the  crowd  as  each 
new  article  of  furniture  or  baggage  was  carried 
from  the  boat. 

They  showed  no  inclination  to  make  themselves 
useful  in  helping  us  unload  our  stuff  from  the 
boats ;  but,  by  the  help  of  the  sailors,  it  was  all 
carried  off  before  the  sun  went  down,  except  the 
brick,  the  lime,  and  the  lumber. 

The  weeds  and  tall  grass  had  been  burned  away 
from  the  level  ground  in  front  of  the  hill  or  knoll, 
and  a  little  higher  up  under  the  palms  we  cleared 
away  a  space,  where  we  placed  our  goods,  set  up  the 
stove,  cooked  our  supper,  and  arranged  our  beds 
for  the  night. 

As  the  shadows  of  night  crept  on,  our  naked 
neighbors  slipped  away  to  their  villages,  and  left 
us  alone.  There  was  perhaps  a  feeling  of  loneli- 
ness as  the  stars  came  out  and  the  stillness  of  the 


94  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


night  could  almost  be  felt.  It  was  a  fifteen  or 
twenty  minute  walk  to  the  nearest  villages,  and 
away  east  and  west  were  long  stretches  of  prairie 
land.  We  were  alone,  but  not  alone,  for  after  our 
evening  devotions  we  felt  a  Presence  that  took 
away  all  feeling  of  loneliness.  We  went  to  sleep 
that  night  with  an  assurance  that  He  who  "  never 
slumbers  and  never  sleeps  "  would  be  our  Keeper, 
and  we  slept  with  as  great  security  as  if  we  had 
been  in  the  heart  of  a  great  city,  and  awoke  in  the 
morning  refreshed  as  only  those  do  who  sleep  in 
the  open  air. 

Early  the  next  morning,  visitors  began  to  pour 
in  from  the  villages,  and  among  them  some  women, 
but  no  children.  We  busied  ourselves  making  our 
camp,  and  protecting  our  goods  from  the  ravages 
of  white  ants,  but  generally  displaying  ourselves 
to  the  interested  and  interesting  crowd  of  spec- 
tators. We  felt  that  we  had  no  time  to  lose ;  that 
our  attention  must  be  given  entirely  to  the  build- 
ing of  some  sort  of  shelter  from  the  rains  and 
storms  that  might  be  expected  any  day.  Accord- 
ingly, on  that  very  first  day,  we  entered  into  an 
agreement  with  some  ex-soldiers,  who  are  known 
as  "  civilians  "  in  all  that  region  of  country,  to 
bring  us  poles  from  the  woods.  It  was  our  inten- 
tion to  build  houses  similar  to  those  of  the  native 
people,  but  somewhat  modified  to  suit  our  needs. 


EXPERIENCES  AT  DOLEIB  HILL  95 


The  native  house  is  a  circle  of  wall  built  of  mud, 
about  one  foot  thick  and  six  feet  high,  and 
thatched  with  a  cone-shaped  roof.  The  finished 
product  has  very  much  the  appearance  of  a  well 
built  haystack.  There  are  no  windows  and  the 
place  of  entrance  is  a  small  hole  about  two  and 
one  half  feet  high  and  two  feet  wide,  and  is  in 
the  shap^  of  a  horse  collar.  We  thought  to  im- 
prove on  this  architecture  somewhat,  by  building 
our  rooms  square,  with  doors  in  the  gables  high 
enough  to  walk  through,  and  windows  to  admit  air 
and  light.  The  idea  of  so  many  great  openings 
very  much  amused  the  people.  They  said  "  The 
mosquitoes  will  sting  you  to  death.  There  are  not 
many  now,  but  after  a  while  when  the  rain  comes 
and  there  is  grass  all  over  that  plain,  and  the  corn 
is  so  high,  they  come  in  swarms,  and  will  eat  your 
eyes  out." 

We  were  ready  to  believe  them,  but  still  did  not 
change  our  plan  of  architecture. 

"  And  now  will  you  help  us  build  .^^ "  was  our 
inquiry,  and  the  only  response  was  "  Booh !  ah- 
h-h  " !  ^  The  men  we  sent  out  (civilians)  were  not 
very  successful  in  securing  poles.  They  came  back 
that  first  day  with  one  pole  for  each  man.  That 
would  not  have  been  so  bad  had  the  poles  not  been 
worthless.    There  were  eight  men,  and  there  were 

1  An  exclamation  of  surprise  or  refusal. 


96  THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


eight  poles,  no  two  of  the  same  length,  and  so 
crooked  as  to  be  worthless  for  building,  and  too 
green  and  full  of  sap  to  be  of  use  for  fuel. 

The  second  day,  with  most  careful  instructions, 
their  work  was  but  little  better.  This  was  not 
very  encouraging,  certainly.  The  day  following 
that  was  a  Sabbath,  and  with  our  tents  in  shape, 
our  camp  arranged,  and  fuel  prepared,  we  were 
grateful  and  happy  in  the  prospect  of  a  day  of 
rest. 

But,  alas!  It  was  not  exactly  a  rest,  although 
we  did  cease  from  labor  or  even  thinking  about  it. 
Early  in  the  morning,  even  before  we  were  up  and 
dressed,  the  people  were  around  us  in  scores,  peep- 
ing into  our  tents,  examining  our  goods  and  pro- 
visions, and  inspecting  us  personally.  All  day  long 
they  thronged  our  camp,  a  jolly  lot,  talking  and 
laughing,  coming,  going,  and  remaining,  until  the 
sun  went  down.  Of  course,  we  were  interested  and 
amused  too,  but  we  did  not  rest.  We  felt  as  if  we 
had  been  to  a  circus  all  day ;  or  rather,  that  we  had 
been  the  circus.  I  think  we  felt  very  much  as  the 
animals  must  feel,  or  the  fat  woman,  or  dwarf,  or 
giant  of  a  show.  We  had  been  looked  at,  and 
laughed  at;  but  of  course  we  looked  and  laughed 
too.  No,  it  was  not  a  Sabbathf  but  rather  a  day  of 
hard  work.  We  did  have  a  service  Sabbath  morn- 
ing, in  one  of  the  tents,  but  it  was  under  pecuhar 


EXPERIENCES  AT  DOLEIB  HILL  97 


difficulties ;  even  the  service  was  amusing  to  the 
people. 

Eventually  the  people  learned  that  we  had  a  rest 
day.  A  day  sacred  to  our  Jo-uk,  but  they  could 
not  yet  enter  into  the  spirit  of  it,  nor  understand 
its  sacredness.  They  soon,  however,  came  to  re- 
spect it,  and  seldom  thronged  about  us  on  that  day, 
either  to  ask  for  work  or  to  buy  and  sell.  But 
this  first  day  was  a  gala  day  for  the  people  and 
better  than  a  circus  for  all  of  us,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  we  would  once  in  a  while  pull  ourselves 
up,  as  we  would  recollect  that  it  was  the  Sabbath. 
But  I  must  give  a  quotation  here  from  Mrs.  Giffen's 
diary : 

"  I  wish  you  could  see  a  group  of  them  before 
our  tent.  They  are  young  men,  full  grown,  and 
all  naked.  They  have  my  hand  mirror  and  are 
as  pleased  with  it  as  so  many  monkeys.  They  get 
into  all  positions  and  dance  and  jump,  just  to 
see  how  they  look.  The  tent  is  open  front  and 
back,  and  they  have  discovered  that  sitting  at  one 
opening  and  looking  in  the  mirror  hanging  on  the 
tent  wall,  they  can  see  their  friends  who  are  sitting 
at  the  opposite  opening  in  the  tent,  and  it  affords 
no  end  of  fun  for  them." 

This  was  our  first  Sabbath  on  the  Sobat,  and 
when  Monday  came  we  felt  very  much  indeed  as 
if  we  had  spent  the  previous  day  in  dissipation. 


98         THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


As  we  were  finishing  our  breakfast  someone  looked 
up  and  said,  "  Ibn  el  Mek  has  come,"  and,  sure 
enough,  there  was  Prince  A-Ko-Kwin  riding  a  mule, 
and  accompanied  by  his  suite. 

The  Prince  is  of  the  royal  family,  and  claims  the 
right  to  sit  upon  the  throne  of  the  ShuUa  people. 
His  village  is  eight  or  ten  miles  to  the  east  of 
Doleib  Hill.  He  had  come  to  pay  us  a  visit.  He 
was  preceded  by  a  man  carrying  the  Prince's  gun. 
This  outrider  (who  was  walking)  wore  a  fez,  a 
soldier's  gray  wool  ulster,  and  boots  without  shoe- 
strings. Then  following  after  the  mule  were  eight 
men,  dressed  in  full  Shulla  outfit.  The  Prince 
alighted  from  his  steed,  and  Dr.  McLaughlin  and 
I  arose  to  pay  our  respects.  We  had  met  him  at 
his  own  village  a  year  previous  to  this,  while  we 
were  exploring  the  country. 

The  Prince  was  clad  in  a  silk  robe,  a  turban  and 
boots;  but  the  robe  had  been  made  for  a  much 
shorter  man  than  the  Prince  (who  is  six  feet,  six 
and  one-half  inches  tall),  so  between  the  bottom 
of  the  robe  and  the  top  of  his  boots  there  was  a 
strip  of  commons.  The  material  of  the  robe  was 
of  Syrian  silk;  a  light  blue  and  white  stripe,  and 
the  ladies  thought  it  would  be  "  just  lovely  for 
shirt-waists." 

He  was  served  with  tea,  drank  it  and  groaned — 
for  more — and  licked  the  sugar  from  the  bottom 


EXPERIENCES  AT  DOLEIB  HILL  99 


of  the  cup.  We  then  excused  ourselves  to  have 
prayers,  and  while  we  were  gone  the  Prince 
removed  his  robe,  and  for  the  remainder  of  the 
day  made  himself  comfortable  in  his  shirt-sleeves; 
and  the  sleeves  were  the  most  of  the  shirt,  and  the 
shirt  was  all  of  his  dress. 

As  he  had  evidently  come  to  spend  the  day,  Dr. 
McLaughlin  and  I  felt  that  we  could  not  afford 
to  take  time  to  play  with  him.  We  therefore  set 
about  to  clear  away  ground  for  our  houses.  The 
Shullas  were  very  shy  of  helping  us.  On  the  top 
of  the  hill  or  ridge  was  where  we  wished  to  build. 
It  is  back  from  the  river  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  and  the  ridge  was  nearly  a  thousand 
feet  long  and  twenty-five  feet  high. 

On  top  of  a  little  knoll  we  prepared  to  build. 
The  "  civilians  "  helped  us  some,  but  the  blacks 
persistently  refused.  They  were  always  present 
every  day  and  all  day,  but  declined  any  bribe  we 
could  offer  them.  I  have  no  doubt  they  were  often 
amused  at  our  attempts  to  model  after  their 
methods.  Sometimes  they  seemed  to  pity,  but  more 
often  they  laughed  at  us. 

Mohammed  remained  with  us  and  proved  of 
great  service  in  many  ways.  He  knew  the  people, 
their  language,  and  their  ways,  and  could  give 
us  good  advice,  and  teach  us  many  things  in  the 
way  of  building  mud  walls.    But  for  all  that,  the 


100        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


walls  were  growing  very  slowly.  It  seems  such  a 
simple  thing,  and  one  would  suppose  a  few  days 
would  be  sufficient  to  build  several  good  big  houses. 
It  is  different  when  you  try  it. 

One  day  Mohammed  came  with  a  man  who  said, 
"We  will  work  for  you  if  you  will  pay  us  for  it." 
Of  course  we  readily  consented.  He  went  away 
and  we  hardly  expected  to  see  him  again;  but  he 
returned  with  about  twenty  men  and  as  many 
women,  the  latter  with  their  water  jars.  They 
began  to  work  early  in  the  morning  before  the 
sun  was  up.  All  were  skilled  workmen — filled 
in  mixing  and  placing  mud — and  we  were  happy 
for  two  or  three  hours ;  then  they  all  disappeared. 
We  thought  there  was  a  strike  on.  We  did  not 
know  the  cause,  whether  for  shorter  hours, — ^the 
hours,  even  of  only  sixty  minutes  each,  were  pretty 
long  in  that  sun, — or  whether  it  was  for  higher 
wages.  We  were  ready  to  concede  almost  anything 
if  they  would  but  work.  They  came  back,  how- 
ever, an  hour  or  so  before  the  sun  went  down  and 
put  on  another  layer  of  mud;  and  thus  things 
continued  day  after  day,  and  no  amount  of  coax- 
ing or  bribing  would  induce  them  to  do  more. 

But  more  men  were  employed,  some  to  bring 
poles  from  the  woods,  and  men  and  women  to 
gather  and  bring  in  great  bundles  of  corn-stalks 
for  the  lath,  and  bundles  of  the  long,  clean  grass 


EXPERIENCES  AT  DOLEIB  HILL  101 


for  the  thatch,  until  the  place  looked  something 
like  a  wheat  field  after  a  storm.  At  this  time  our 
whole  compound  was  a  picture.  The  grass  for 
the  roof  is  brought  in  bundles,  looking  much  like 
shocks  of  wheat,  and  these  were  in  irregular  piles 
all  over  the  hillside.  Then  there  were  piles  of  rope 
made  of  grass ;  these  were  to  be  used  in  place  of 
nails  to  hold  the  rafters,  lath  and  shingles.  Added 
to  all  this  material  was  our  own  baggage,  the 
tents,  boxes,  beds,  tables,  and  cooking  stove.  We 
and  our  belongings  had  the  appearance  of  having 
been  dropped  there  by  a  cyclone  and  forgotten. 

To  add  to  the  annoyance  and  confusion  the 
workmen  and  workwomen  insisted  on  receiving 
their  pay  every  evening,  and,  in  order  to  gain  their 
confidence,  we  humored  them  in  this  as  in  other 
childish  ways.  And  why  should  they  trust  us? 
How  do  they  know  we  mean  to  pay  them?  Judg- 
ing from  their  past  experience  with  white  men, 
they  reason  that  we  will  not  pay  them  if  we  can 
help  it.  Our  aim  was  to  gain  and  keep  their  con- 
fidence, and  we  must  suffer  any  amount  of  annoy- 
ance to  accomplish  this. 

We  had  taken  with  us  beads,  brass,  iron,  and 
cloth,  to  use  in  exchange.  These  were  not  quickly 
measured  out  in  exact  quantities.  Every  evening 
they  were  spread  out  in  front  of  the  tent.  Then 
the  roll  was  called,  and  each  received  a  wage. 


102        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


Sometimes  we  had  as  many  as  fifty  or  sixty  men 
and  women  clamoring  for  wages.  Mohammed  kept 
a  list  of  their  names,  and  it  caused  great  amuse- 
ment among  them  to  hear  their  names  read  out, 
and  they  had  quite  an  air  of  importance  when  they 
would  come  up  to  select  their  pay.  The  difficulty 
was  in  the  too  great  variety  to  select  from;  we 
worked  almost  as  many  hours  paying  the  day's 
wages  as  they  had  spent  in  labor.  The  beads  were 
measured  out  in  the  top  of  a  catsup  bottle,  and 
the  brass  wire  was  measured  off  by  the  span.  But 
the  beads  were  of  many  kinds,  sizes,  and  colors, 
and,  for  the  ladies  especially,  it  took  a  long  time 
to  make  a  choice.  Mrs.  GifFen  has  described  one 
evening  in  the  following  note: 

"  I  would  not  dare  attempt  to  write  any  letter, 
except  this,  in  the  noise  and  confusion  that  is 
going  on.  The  men  and  women  are  getting  their 
pay  for  the  work  done.  They  are  being  paid  in 
cloth,  beads,  etc.,  and  my  part  of  it  is  to  cut  off 
cloth  when  it  is  called  for,  and  between  times  I  can 
write  a  word,  '  'Tis  Babel  and  Bedlam  wed.'  I 
thought  I  knew  a  noise  when  I  heard  it,  but,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  I  had  never  heard  a  noise  until 
within  the  last  month.  It  is  almost  always  a  good 
natured  noise,  however.  So  it  is  not  so  bad.  But 
they  just  will  all  talk  at  once. 

"  Just  as  I  finished  that  last  sentence  there  was 


EXPERIENCES  AT  DOLEIB  HILL  103 


a  noise  outside  our  tent  that  could  be  heard  above 
the  noise  inside,  and  away  went  the  crowd  in  a 
rush.  It  was  a  fight  over  a  sheep,  and  spears 
clashed  for  a  minute.  But  I  really  admire  the 
women.  They  went  right  in  among  the  spear- 
points  and  separated  the  men  before  Mohammed 
got  to  them.  It  was  not  a  case  of  men  waiting 
to  be  parted  either  (as  I  have  so  often  seen  in 
Egypt,  where  they  stop  and  most  excitedly  look 
around  and  wait  for  somebody  to  hold  them  back), 
for  these  men  are  not  made  that  way.  In  one 
sense,  at  least,  this  is  not  a  land  of  down-trodden 
womanhood.  Now  the  women  are  back  again,  calm 
and  sweet,  taking  their  pay  and  keeping  it,  too, 
and  taking  care  of  themselves  as  well." 

Over  and  over  again  we  had  these  noisy  scenes 
at  pay  hour.  As  they  gained  more  confidence  in 
us,  however,  we  lengthened  the  time,  and  paid 
them  only  once  a  week.  This  was  an  advance. 
Finally  we  sent  down  to  Khartum  and  brought  up 
such  goods  as  they  needed  and  placed  them  in  a 
room  built  for  them.  These  goods  were  sold  to 
the  people,  and  Mohammed  was  placed  in  charge. 
At  the  same  time,  we  brought  Egyptian  coin,  and 
began  paying  for  everything  in  coin.  Thus  we 
instituted  a  new  order  of  things,  and  it  worked 
splendidly.  They  soon  learned  the  value  of  the 
coin  and  preferred  this  method.  It  gave  them,  too, 


104        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


a  wholesome  lesson  in  buying  and  selling.  It  wag 
a  bit  of  business  training  they  very  much  needed, 
and  it  was  an  immense  relief  to  us. 

The  house  began  to  take  on  definite  shape.  The 
men  were  more  successful  in  securing  poles,  al- 
though the  specimens  they  brought  left  much  to 
be  desired.  Men  were  found  who  could  put  on  the 
thatch.  That  is  a  trade  and,  with  blacksmithing, 
is  about  the  only  skilled  work  they  have.  A  thatch 
on  a  ShuUa  house,  whan  carefully  done,  has  a  very 
neat  appearance.  But  the  angles,  and  gables,  and 
comb  to  the  roof,  perplexed  them.  Their  skill  did 
not  extend  to  this  kind.  Still,  with  all  their  round 
and  curved  angles,  their  crooked  rafters  and  black 
clay  walls,  they  afforded  us  real  shelter,  and  were 
houses  of  very  pleasant  memories  in  spite  of  some 
very  unpleasant  experien'^es  during  those  first 
months.  The  trials,  perhaps,  sweetened  the  memo- 
ries and  the  contrast  heightened  our  apprecia- 
tion. 

It  was  the  second  of  May  when  the  first  roof 
was  completed  and  the  first  house  made  ready  for 
occupancy.  The  second  followed  in  a  few  days, 
and  then  came  a  rain  storm,  and  Mrs.  GifFen  was 
taken  seriously  ill.  The  third  house  had  to  wait, 
but  finally  they  were  all  under  cover:  A  house  for 
each  family  and  a  kitchen  for  the  compound.  We 
had  windows,  but  no  glass.    Wire  netting  served 


EXPERIENCES  AT  DOLEIB  HILL  105 


to  screen  us  from  the  mosquitoes,  or,  at  least,  kept 
the  goats  from  wandering  in. 

It  was  far  from  ideal  in  any  respect.  The  roofs 
leaked,  the  white  ants  tunneled  the  walls:  a  kind 
of  beetle  bored  the  rafters  until  the  whole  roof 
threatened  to  come  tumbling  down  over  our  heads ; 
but  it  all  held  together,  and,  in  spite  of  the  rain, 
in  spite  of  the  mosquitoes  and  ants,  in  spite  of  the 
snakes,  in  spite  of  sickness  that  came,  we  were  a 
cheerful  lot,  most  of  the  time  at  least,  and  God 
was  wonderfully  kind  to  us.  He  tempered  the 
rain  storms.  He  delayed  them,  for  they  did  not 
come  quite  so  early  as  usual,  nor  continue  quite  so 
long.  He  drew  the  hearts  of  the  people  to  us,  and 
we  found  favor  with  them.  He  sent  us  many  kind 
friends  to  sympathize  and  cheer  us,  from  the  out- 
side world.  And,  above  all.  He  healed  our  sick 
and  preserved  our  lives  through  it  all. 


THE  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR 

Our  rainy  season  on  the  Sobat  begins  about  the 
first  of  May  and  continues  until  the  end  of  October. 
But  it  was  well  on  into  July  before  we  had  our 
houses  in  shape  to  afford  the  necessary  protection. 
During  these  months  we  busied  ourselves  in  many 
ways.  The  grounds  had  to  be  cleared  and  kept 
clean  and,  as  far  as  possible,  free  from  tall  grass 
and  weeds  which  might  afford  hiding  places  for 
snakes  and  other  pests.  Ground  was  also  cleared 
away,  dug  over  with  mattocks,  and  planted  with 
vegetables,  corn,  wheat,  cotton,  etc.  All  this  was 
by  way  of  experiment.  A  garden  for  the  growing 
of  vegetables  for  our  table  seemed  a  necessity.  No 
vegetables  or  fruits  of  any  kind  are  produced  by 
the  people.  Bamiyah  or  okra  grows  wild,  but 
is  not  very  good.  Also  the  meluhhiyah  of  Egypt, 
a  kind  of  mallow,  grows  abundantly  and  of  splendid 
quality.  But  of  our  ordinary  garden  vegetables 
there  were  none. 

We  found  but  little  difficulty  in  growing  most 
kinds  of  common  vegetables,  and  very  seon  had  a 
supply  for  our  table,  which  we  managed  to  main- 

106 


THE  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR  107 


tain  with  care  and  irrigation  even  during  the  dry 
months  of  the  year.  The  tomatoes  were  espe- 
cially fine,  and  served  in  a  double  capacity  of 
fruit  and  vegetable.  Sweet  potatoes  also  grew 
with  but  little  care  and  all  through  the  year. 
However,  our  wheat  failed,  as  also  our  potatoes. 
On  the  other  hand  cotton  was  very  successfully 
grown.  Fruit  trees  were  also  started  and,  some  of 
them  at  least,  bid  fair  to  do  well. 

In  all  this  work  we  had  much  to  contend  with  in 
the  insect  life,  which  was  abundant;  and  from  the 
flocks  of  sheep  and  goats  that  roamed  everywhere. 
But  our  object  was  twofold.  It  was  not  to  grow 
vegetables  only,  but  to  give  employment  to  the 
people,  to  teach  them  to  do  something,  and  to 
bring  them  under  our  influence. 

Our  principle  was  that  without  labor, — pro- 
ductive, useful  labor, — there  could  be  no  develop- 
ment of  character.  We  must  teach  the  people  to 
do  something,  before  we  can  expect  them  to  he  any- 
thing. We  took  advantage  of  every  opportunity 
to  get  them  to  labor.  They  were  employed  in  all 
sorts  of  work  about  our  compound.  There  was  a 
man  to  milk  and  herd  the  cows ;  a  woman  was  em- 
ployed to  fill  the  water  jars  daily;  a  corn-stalk 
fence  was  built  around  the  premises;  ground,  for 
planting,  was  cleared  of  grass. 

The  weeds  and  grass  grew  so  fast  that  it  kept 


108        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


constant  watching  and  care  to  keep  the  grounds 
even  in  respectable  appearance.  The  clearing  of 
the  ground  on  the  low  land,  where  we  planted,  was 
done  by  the  natives,  and  after  their  own  fashion. 
For  this  purpose  they  use  a  little  tool,  that  for  the 
lack  of  a  better  name,  we  call  a  hoe.  It  is  a  flat 
piece  of  iron,  generally  a  circle,  or  semi-circle,  into 
one  edge  of  which  is  fitted  a  handle  of  wood  a  foot 
or  a  foot  and  a  half  long.  While  digging,  they 
squat  on  the  ground,  grasp  the  grass  by  the  top 
and  pull  and  dig  it  up  by  the  root.  With  the  native 
people  this  is  all  the  preparation  the  soil  receives, 
but  for  our  own  garden,  we  had  all  the  soil  cleared 
of  grass,  then  stirred  first  with  a  mattock  and 
later  with  a  plow. 

We  thus  employed  a  considerable  number  of  men, 
and  coming,  as  they  often  did,  from  villages  a  con- 
siderable distance  away,  we  were  enabled  to  ex- 
tend our  influence.  Then  too,  as  Dr.  McLaughlin 
and  I  had  to  become  their  teachers  in  all  this 
work,  and  our  teaching  was  by  object  lessons, 
it  brought  us  into  touch  with  them,  and  we  gained 
an  influence  that  perhaps  would  not  have  been 
gained,  certainly  not  in  the  same  time,  by  any  other 
method. 

Thus,  little  by  little,  some  of  them  at  least  began 
to  appreciate  the  advantage  of  being  with  us  and 
laboring  for  us;  and,  little  by  little,  they  learned 


THE  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR  109 


something  of  a  day's  labor  and  what  it  meant; 
and  something  of  the  meaning  of  responsibility 
in  labor,  of  which  they  had  been  entirely  igno- 
rant. 

This,  too,  gave  us  opportunity  to  discriminate 
between  a  good  and  faithful  workman  and  one  who 
was  not,  by  praising  the  work  done,  or  rewarding 
the  workman  in  some  way. 

It  was  some  time  before  the  lesson  was  wholly 
mastered.  They  could  not  understand  what  we 
meant  by  a  "  day's  work."  At  this  time  we  needed 
the  services  of  a  good  many  men,  for  we  were  plan- 
ning to  make  brick  and  build  houses  that  would  be 
better  fitted  to  endure  the  rain  storms.  There  is  no 
building  material  in  all  that  region  of  country,  and 
even  yet  the  kind  of  buildings  suited  to  our  need  is 
a  problem.  Lime  can  not  be  had  nearer  than 
Khartum,  nearly  six  hundred  miles  away,  and  trans- 
port expenses  are  very  heavy.  The  white  ant  and 
other  insects  constituted  another  problem,  and  the 
climate  still  another.  Each  of  these  needed  to  be 
considered  in  determining  the  kind  of  structure  we 
would  build.  We  determined  to  try  brick  as  being 
a  possibility,  and  most  likely  to  suit  our  need.  But 
neither  Dr.  McLaughlin  nor  I  had  ever  made  a 
brick,  nor  had  we  ever  given  the  subject  much 
thought.  We  did,  however,  have  this  advantage 
over  the  Shulla:    We  knew  what  a  brick  looked 


110        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


like,  and  knew  a  good  brick  from  a  bad  one.  We 
meant  to  try  to  make  brick  and  we  wished  the 
Shulla  men  to  help  us. 

We  called  a  number  of  them  together  and  ex- 
plained what  we  intended  to  do ;  that  we  would 
employ  them  at  the  same  wage  as  we  had  been  pay- 
ing, viz.:  3  piasters  (15  cents)  a  day.  This  had 
been  considered  by  us  as  a  very  big  wage,  but 
"  necessity  knows  no  law,"  and  we  had  been  com- 
pelled to  pay  it. 

To  American  workmen  this  sum  seems  very 
small,  but  it  is  as  much  as  four  dollars  a  day  for 
similar  work  in  America.  Indeed,  it  is  even  greater 
than  that,  for  without  this  income  at  all  they  could 
live  comfortably  and  comparatively  at  ease. 
Houses  cost  but  little  labor,  while  furniture  and 
clothing  cost  nothing  at  all.  There  are  no  rents, 
taxes,  school  rates,  charities,  or  other  expenditures. 
Food  is  the  only  item  of  expense,  and  this  only  in- 
volves the  labor  of  growing  and  harvesting  the 
grain. 

We  had  therefore  no  thought  of  increasing  the 
wage,  but  on  the  other  hand  we  proposed  to  insist 
on  a  day's  work  for  the  sum  paid.  That  is  to  say, 
we  would  begin  in  the  early  morning  and  continue 
until  noon,  and  begin  again  in  the  afternoon  from 
about  three  o'clock  and  work  on  until  the  sun  went 
down.    They  would  be  paid  but  once  every  week, 


THE  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR  111 


and  the  man  who  slighted  his  work  or  idled  his 
time  would  have  his  wages  cut  down  accord- 
ingly. 

All  this  was  explained  to  them  very  carefully, 
that  there  might  be  no  misunderstanding  about 
the  matter.  They  assented  and  thought  they  un- 
derstood what  it  meant;  but  they  did  not.  We 
knew  this  from  the  beginning,  but  here  was  just 
the  lesson  we  had  set  about  to  teach  them.  We 
were  more  independent  now,  as  we  could  dispense 
with  their  labor  altogether,  and  suffer  no  great  in- 
convenience. Still  we  did  wish  to  succeed,  and  if 
they  refused  to  work  at  all,  our  lesson  would  be  lost. 

We  had  secured  two  "professional"  (?)  brick- 
makers  from  Khartum,  who,  as  it  turned  out,  knew 
but  little  more  about  making  brick  than  we  did, 
and,  moreover,  the  Shulla  did  not  like  to  be  placed 
under  their  authority;  so  it  required  the  time  of 
at  least  one  of  us  to  superintend  and  "  keep  the 
peace." 

The  reader  can  imagine,  I  think,  better  than  I 
can  explain,  the  bitterness  of  soul  that  we  ex- 
perienced during  the  next  few  weeks.  The  men 
would  come  to  us  and  say :  "  Old  man !  I  am  going 
to  die;  my  back  hurts  me,  and  my  chest  hurts  me, 
and  my  legs  hurt  me.  I  am  going  to  die!  Give 
me  my  money  and  I  will  quit ! "  But  we  would 
laugh  at  them  and  chaff  them,  and  but  few  of 


112        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


them  did  quit  work  until  they  had  completed  a  week 
at  least. 

Dr.  McLaughlin  and  I  knew  exactly  how  they 
felt  over  the  matter.  They  were  performing  a 
kind  of  service  that  brought  into  use  muscles  that 
had  never  been  used  before,  and  naturally  enough, 
to  them  the  case  looked  serious,  and  "  the  game 
not  worth  the  powder."  At  last,  the  lesson  was 
most  satisfactorily  learned. 

Dr.  McLaughlin  had  to  leave  us  in  January,  but 
we  kept  up  the  work  all  through  the  following 
months, — the  hottest  season.  They  were  paid 
every  Saturday  night.  Every  case  of  delinquency 
was  reported  to  us,  and  the  pay  was  according  to 
the  work  done.  In  some  cases  where  greater  faith- 
fulness had  been  manifest  the  amount  of  wage  was 
even  increased.  Very  seldom  was  there  a  complaint 
of  injustice  done,  and  those  rewarded  for  their 
faithfulness  made  no  display  of  the  fact;  and  it 
required  very  close  scrutiny  to  observe  any  ap- 
preciation of  our  discrimination  in  their  favor. 

A  quotation  from  one  of  Mrs.  Giffen's  letters 
will  express  more  of  their  real  sense  of  gratitude 
than  they  ever  expressed  in  any  other  way : 

"  It  was  on  a  Saturday  evening.  Our  custom 
was  to  take  a  long  walk  every  evening,  but  Mr. 
Giffen  had  to  pay  the  men  and  could  not  come  with 
me,  and  I  went  out  alone.    There  had  been  a  num- 


THE  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR  113 


ber  of  young  men,  from  sixteen  to  twenty  years  of 
age,  working  that  week,  and  as  I  was  returning 
they  met  me.  Long  before  they  came  within  speak- 
ing distance  they  began  shouting,  '  Mother ! 
mother !  how  is  your  day.  We  are  coming !  We  all 
have  our  pay!  we  are  happy,'  etc.  Each  had  his 
spear  and  they  were  all  feeling  particularly  good- 
humored.  When  they  came  up  to  me  they  stopped, 
and  I  had  to  see  the  money  of  each  of  them.  Some 
had  it  tied  in  a  comer  of  the  cloth,  which  is  their 
clothes,  when  they  have  any ;  others  had  it  tied  in  a 
bit  of  dirty  rag,  and  the  rag  tied  to  the  top  of  the 
spear  handle ;  others  held  it  in  their  hands  ;  and  still 
others  had  to  spit  it  out  of  their  mouths,  that  I 
might  see  it. 

"  They  all  talked  at  once  and  I  could  not  under- 
stand much  of  what  was  said,  but  I  knew  when  they 
were  telling  me  that '  jaal  Duwong  (the  big  man  or 
chief)  is  good.'  I  pretended  to  think  they  meant 
the  chief  of  their  village,  but  they  shouted  and 
sang — '  No,  jaal  Duwong  of  faj  Ta  tuga;  jaal 
Duwong  of  faj  Ta  tuga!  '  (The  big  man  of  the 
village  by  the  doleib  trees,  i.e.  of  the  Mission  com- 
pound.) Then,  before  they  left,  the  whole  lot 
formed  a  circle  around  me,  and  with  the  right  arm 
held  high,  balancing  the  spear,  they  began  dancing 
and  singing.  An  unusual  amount  of  saliva  was 
flowing  and  I  had  a  regular  shower  bath  before 


114        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


they  were  ended.  When  I  left  them  they  shook 
hands  with  me.  This  is  not  their  custom,  but  they 
think  it  is  ours ;  and  as  I  put  my  hand  into  each 
big,  black  hand,  they  shouted  with  laughter  and 
said :  '  Oh !  it  is  little,'  and  went  off  along  the  path 
toward  their  village,  shouting,  singing,  and  danc- 
ing, with  much  brandishing  of  spears  and  beating 
down  imaginary  foes  or  hiding  from  them.  A 
happy,  happy  lot  of  children." 

We  could  but  rejoice  at  the  change  that  was 
gradually  coming  into  the  lives  of  these  young 
men  and  boys.  Here  lay  our  hope  for  the  future. 
Each  of  those  young  men  had  done  six  days'  work, 
and  they  were  beginning  to  feel  all  the  better  for 
it.  Some  of  them  began  to  save  their  money  to 
buy  a  cow,  and  get  more  cows,  and  thus  to  even- 
tually gratify  their  highest  ambition — get  a  wife. 
But  other  ambitions  will  eventually  come  into  the 
lives  of  these  young  men,  and  we  will  be  able  to  lift 
them  up  into  higher  views  of  life.  The  lesson  we 
set  out  to  teach  had  been  learned,  unconsciously 
perhaps.  They  had  learned  that  we  meant  to  treat 
them  justly;  that  without  an  effort  they  need  not 
expect  to  gain  anything;  and  since  we  labored 
with  them  as  they  did,  it  could  not  be  a  mean  thing 
to  labor.  They  were  not  slaves,  and  yet  as  free 
men  they  must  labor  in  order  to  gain.  Some  higher 
ambitions  and  nobler  thoughts  had  been  implanted 


THE  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR  115 


in  these  savage  breasts.  Our  ambition,  too,  had 
been  in  a  measure  satisfied.  The  ShuUas  were 
ready  to  work. 

There  was  another  lesson  along  this  same  line  of 
industry  that  we  undertook  to  teach  them,  and  that 
was  to  produce  something  from  their  fertile,  but 
untilled  plains.  They  had  herds  of  cattle  and 
flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  and  in  these  they  took  a 
certain  pride.  But  even  these  they  did  not  pro- 
duce for  sale,  nor  for  exchange  for  other  com- 
modities, except  for  the  one  precious  thing — a 
wife. 

The  growing  of  grain  or  other  products  of  the 
soil  for  market  had  never  entered  their  savage 
minds.  And  why  should  it?  They  had  never  had 
a  market,  and  why  should  they  produce  more  than 
was  required  to  satisfy  their  own  simple  wants? 
It  is  hardly  human  to  do  so.  Men  produce  only 
that  for  which  they  can  find  a  market,  and  when 
the  market  is  supplied  they  cease  to  produce.  This 
is  a  natural  law.  We  do  not  labor  anywhere  for 
the  simple  pleasure  it  affords.  Yet  labor  is  the 
only  true  index  of  character,  and  the  only  means 
of  lifting  men  up  and  of  preserving  human  society 
from  degeneracy.  The  natural  law,  from  which 
we  may  not  depart,  is,  "  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face 
shalt  thou  eat  bread,  till  thou  return  unto  the 
ground."    It  is  God's  law.    It  was  given  not  only 


116        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


as  a  punishment  for  sin,  because  it  was  the  result 
of  sin,  but  also  to  preserve  mankind  from  the  curse 
of  idleness  in  a  state  of  sin.  Idleness  from  any 
cause  is  to  be  deplored,  and  when  the  great  mass 
of  the  people  are  idle  when  they  might  be  at  work, 
a  deplorable  state  of  things  results. 

We  could  find  employment  for  a  few  of  these 
people,  but  only  for  a  verT^  few,  while  in  these  great 
fertile  plains  there  was  employment  for  all,  if  we 
could  but  get  them  to  believe  it.  This  was  our 
task.  How  were  we  to  accomplish  it?  We  ex- 
horted them  to  plant.  We  even  promised  to  buy 
their  grain.  The  universal  reply  was  "  Ah-h-h ! 
Booh!  "  They  could  not  understand.  They  had 
been  accustomed  to  planting  just  enough  for  their 
own  use — a  few  acres  for  each  family.  If  they 
had  more,  what  could  they  do  with  it?  The  ants 
or  the  weasels  would  destroy  it.  If  the  season  was 
bad  and  they  had  too  little,  they  could  get  through 
somehow.  Even  a  little  hunger  was  better  than 
useless  exertion.  It  required  little  to  sustain  life 
under  such  conditions. 

When  harvest  time  came  we  proposed  to  the  com- 
mandant at  the  military  post  at  Taufikiyah,  that 
we  should  buy  corn  from  the  people  for  the  use  of 
the  soldiers.  The  commandant  was  very  anxious  to 
procure  the  corn,  but  expressed  a  doubt  as  to  our 
being  able  to  buy.    It  was  his  opinion  that  they 


THE  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR  117 


did  not  have  the  corn  or  would  not  part  with  it; 
but  he  promised  to  take  all  that  we  could  buy. 
The  price  and  the  measure  were  fixed,  and  we  gave 
out  word  to  the  people  that  we  were  ready  to  buy 
all  the  corn  they  would  bring  us. 

At  first  they  were  very  shy  of  any  such  proposi- 
tion. They  brought  some  corn,  but  in  gourds  of 
a  few  quarts  each.  Two  or  three  weeks  passed. 
We  had  begun  to  think  that  our  venture  would 
fail.  Finally  they  began  to  bring  it  in  basket- 
fuls,  and  we  filled  all  the  bags  that  were  sent  us. 
We  sent  for  more  bags,  and  for  two  or  three 
months  we  bought  corn  almost  every  day.  We 
had  some  trouble  in  holding  a  fixed  price.  Several 
times  the  people  carried  away  their  grain  because 
they  did  not  receive  the  price  they  thought  they 
should  have.  We  were  rather  pleased  at  this  than 
otherwise,  as  it  showed  an  independence  of  spirit, 
and  it  also  gave  us  an  opportunity  to  prove  that 
we  had  but  one  price  which  we  considered  a  fair 
and  honest  equivalent  for  their  grain. 

They  very  soon  learned  that  we  had  a  fixed  price 
and  a  fixed  measure  in  everything.  How  much 
they  appreciated  such  a  market  was  clearly  shown, 
and  the  wisdom  of  creating  such  a  market  was 
fully  justified,  for  when  we  counted  up  the  sales  of 
the  season,  these  amounted  to  about  two  hundred 
and    fifty    ardebsy    or    about    twelve  hundred 


118        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


bushels.  For  this  we  had  paid  out  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

In  this  little  business  transaction,  which  proved 
so  satisfactory  to  us,  although  involving  an  im- 
mense amount  of  trouble,  we  had  a  two-fold  pur- 
pose. The  primary  object  was  to  bring  the  people 
to  us,  and  thus  give  an  added  opportunity  for  in- 
fluence, at  the  same  time  preventing  their  going  to 
do  their  trading  to  places  where  they  might  learn 
very  objectionable  methods.  While  we  bought  of 
them  and  paid  them  cash  for  their  produce,  they  in 
turn  patronized  our  store  and  paid  cash  for  what 
they  bought  of  us. 

The  second  purpose  we  had  in  view  was,  to 
create  in  them  an  ambition  to  cultivate  their 
fields,  and  to  produce  something  more  than  merely 
enough  to  satisfy  their  immediate  wants.  We  be- 
lieve that  when  they  are  assured  of  a  market  for 
their  produce  they  will  do  this.  Our  only  fear  has 
been,  that  when  they  begin  to  produce  something 
worth  while  an  objectionable  class  of  traders  will 
be  drawn  to  that  section  of  country,  and  by  their 
vicious  methods,  instead  of  creating  intelligent  in- 
dustry and  promoting  an  honest  trade,  will  have 
the  very  opposite  tendency;  and  demoralize  a 
savage  but  simple  people.  Such  has  been  the 
eflPect  of  the  Arab  traders  all  through  Africa. 
European  traders,  of  the  class  that  would  be 


THE  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR  119 


drawn  to  such  a  country,  would  be  scarcely  less 
objectionable.  Treating  the  native  with  greater 
contempt,  unless  restrained  by  law,  they  would 
certainly  bring  about  the  annihilation  of  the 
tribes  by  furnishing  them  with  strong  alcoholic 
liquors. 

To  forestall  all  such  trade  if  possible,  it  has 
been  our  aim  to  provide  the  people  with  goods,  such 
as  they  may  require,  at  the  smallest  possible  cost  to 
them,  but  with  a  certain  profit  to  us;  at  the  same 
time-  providing  them  with  a  market  for  such  pro- 
duce as  they  may  have,  at  the  highest  possible 
price.  In  short,  our  aim  has  been  to  establish, 
develop,  and  control  an  honest  trade  that  would 
stimulate  the  people  to  honest  toil  and  to  a  simple, 
temperate  life,  preserving  as  far  as  possible  their 
native  simplicity,  while  helping  them  up  to  a  better 
life. 

In  all  we  attempted  to  do  for  them  we  aimed  to 
gain  their  confidence.  For  many  generations,  in- 
deed in  almost  all  their  dealings  with  the  white 
man,  they  have  known  him  as  a  despoiler  only. 
Under  the  guise  of  government,  they  have  been 
robbed  of  their  property,  and  their  women  and 
children  have  been  carried  away  into  slavery. 
Naturally  they  were  suspicious  of  the  present 
Government  and  of  us  too,  whom  they  regarded  as 
some  sort  of  agents  for  the  Government, 


120        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


One  of  the  most  pathetic  incidents,  revealing 
much  of  the  heart  of  the  people,  and  explaining 
their  attitude  toward  us  and  the  present  Govern- 
ment, came  in  a  conversation  one  day  with  the 
chief  man  of  the  villages  which  surrounded  our 
station. 

We  had  been  there  for  some  months,  and 
thought  we  had  gained  much  confidence  from  the 
people.  We  had  a  friend  visiting  us  and  this 
chief,  Ariu,  had  called  in  honor  of  our  guest. 
After  some  conversation,  our  friend  said  to  Ariu: 
"  Now  you  have  a  good  and  righteous  Govern- 
ment; it  will  protect  you,  and  will  help  you;  it 
will  fight  your  battles  if  need  be.  And  these  mis- 
sionaries will  teach  your  children;  will  help  you 
cultivate  your  lands;  will  find  a  market  for  your 
grain,  and  they  have  The  Book  and  will  teach  you 
of  God;  you  ought  now  to  be  quiet  and  peaceable. 
Till  your  lands  and  care  for  your  herds." 

After  a  good  deal  of  deliberation  and  smoking, 
Ariu  laid  his  pipe  aside  and  replied : 

"  Master,  you  speak  well.  We  had  here  the 
Turks  (old  Egyptian  Government)  and  they  said 
*  Be  submissive  to  us ;  we  will  protect  you,  we  will 
fight  your  battles  for  you,  we  will  teach  you  of 
God.'  But  they  took  our  cattle,  they  destroyed 
our  villages,  and  carried  away  our  women  and  chil- 
dren into  slavery,  and  they  are  gone.    Then  came 


THE  DIGNITY  OF  LABOR  121 


the  Ansar  (the  Mahdists)  and  they  said:  '  Come 
with  us,  we  have  a  great  army;  we  will  care  for 
you  and  protect  you;  we  will  give  you  plenty  to 
eat,  and  a  good  place  to  live;  we  have  The  Book 
and  we  will  teach  you  the  truth  and  teach  you  of 
God.'  But  they  slew  our  men,  and  right  here 
where  these  missionaries  built  their  houses  many 
of  our  men  fell  fighting  for  their  women  and  chil- 
dren. They  took  away  our  cattle,  destroyed  our 
villages,  carried  off  our  women  and  children,  and 
they  too  have  gone.  Now  you  come  and  say: 
'  We  will  care  for  you ;  we  will  protect  you,  we 
will  fight  for  you,  we  have  The  Booh;  we  will 
teach  you.'  Master,  you  speak  well;  but  we  will 
see." 

This  brief,  pathetic  story,  a  review  of  their 
whole  history,  reveals  everything.  It  is  no  won- 
der they  are  naturally  suspicious  even  of  those  who 
try  to  help  them.  The  black  man  is  forgiving  in 
nature  and  soon  forgets;  at  least,  he  is  willing 
to  forget,  and  is  most  susceptible  to  kind  treat- 
ment. 

The  present  Government  is  doing  much,  no 
doubt,  to  remove  the  suspicion  of  the  people;  but 
a  feeling  so  deep  seated,  and  so  reasonably 
grounded,  is  not  easily  eradicated.  There  is  then 
all  the  more  reason  why  their  every  interest  should 
be  carefully  guarded.     Any  little  seeming  in- 


122        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


justice  might  lead  to  serious  results;  and  certain 
it  is-  that  only  by  continual  kindly  treatment  and 
by  strengthening  every  confidence  gained  can 
the  people  be  lifted  up  out  of  their  present 
degradation. 


XI 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  PEOPLE 

From  the  foregoing  chapters  the  reader  will  have 
formed  some  idea  of  the  condition  of  the  people  as 
they  appeared  to  us  on  our  arrival  at  Doleib  Hill. 
I  have  mentioned  that  the  men  were  all,  or  nearly 
all  of  them,  naked,  and  even  those  who  had  made 
some  attempt  at  covering  their  nakedness  were  but 
little  better  off  than  those  who  did  not.  The 
women,  however,  were  more  decently  covered  with 
skins  of  animals.  I  quote  again  from  Mrs. 
GifFen's  diary  written  at  the  time,  for  first  im- 
pressions are  more  striking  and  take  notice  of 
many  things  which  later  pass  unobserved: 

"  I  know  you  will  wish  to  know  something  of  the 
people,  but  because  I  have  felt  so  unequal  to  the 
task  of  describing  them-  I  have  been  fighting  shy 
of  it  all  along.  They  came  in  crowds  the  day  we 
arrived  and  have  been  here  in  crowds  ever  since. 
They  are  here  as  soon  as  it  is  light  and  stay  until 
dark. 

"  The  women  are  strong  and  well  formed.  The 
young  ones  are  rather  pretty  for  all  their  black 
skins;  or  perhaps  because  of  their  black  skins, 

m 


IM        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


which  are  so  soft  and  smooth.  The  old  women, 
like  some  of  the  rest  of  us,  are  not  so  fair  to  look 
upon.  They  shave  their  heads,  and,  across  their 
foreheads — where  wrinkles  come — they  have  from 
one  to  three  rows  of  small  scars.  These  scars  are 
often  simply  impressions  made  in  the  flesh  by  wear- 
ing bands  of  buttons  drawn  tightly  across  the 
forehead.  Their  ears  are  pierced  at  the  top,  and 
they  wear  rings  of  brass  or  iron.  Sometimes  you 
see  them  with  bits  of  wood  or  stalks  of  grass,  as 
thick  as  a  lead-pencil,  in  these  holes. 

"The  four  front  teeth  in  the  lower  jaw  are 
almost  invariably  extracted.  This  gives  rather  an 
odd  and  aged  appearance  even  to  the  young.  I 
asked  why  this  was  done,  and  was  told  that '  it  was 
to  keep  them  from  using  abusive  language.'  I 
think  that  likely  a  mistake,  however,  and  if  true,  I 
doubt  its  effectiveness,  for  they  talk  so  much  and 
so  fast  that  I  imagine  sometimes  it  is  not  all  free 
from  abuse.  Mr.  Giffen  says  he  thinks  it  is  a  mark 
of  servitude,  as  he  has  understood  that  those  of  the 
royal  line  do  not  follow  this  custom.  I  suppose 
there  had  to  be  some  mark  of  distinction  between 
royaltj?^  and  the  common  folk,  and  as  this  could 
not  be  made  in  any  insignia  of  dress,  they  remove 
the  front  teeth.  This  custom  extends  to  the  men 
as  well  as  the  women. 

"  As  regards  the  clothes  of  the  women,  first  of 


SHULLA  GIRL  OF  THE  SOBAT  REGION 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  PEOPLE  125 


all  there  is  a  small  apron.  This  is  a  piece  of 
coarse  cloth — originally  white — about  two  feet 
long  and  eighteen  inches  wide.  It  is  made  of  two 
thicknesses,  and  it  is  tied  by  strings  fastened  to 
two  corners  around  the  waist,  but  just  below  the 
abdomen,  and  falls  down  to  the  knees. 

"  Then  there  are  two  skins,  of  sheep,  goat,  calf, 
gazelle  or  whatever  it  may  be,  tanned  with  the  hair 
on,  and  worn  with  the  hair  side  out.  One  of  these 
is  tied  around  the  waist,  using  one  fore  leg  and  one 
hind  leg  of  the  skin  for  strings  to  tie  with.  The 
tail  and  the  other  two  legs — or  the  skin  of  them — 
dangle  and  flap  around  the  legs  as  ornaments. 
Indeed  these  are  sometimes  ornamented  with  beads, 
brass  or  iron  rings.  This  skin  is  tied  in  front  so 
as  to  show  the  white  {?)  apron  underneath. 

"  The  other  skin  is  worn  on  the  upper  part  of 
the  body.  The  fore  and  hind  legs  on  one  side  are 
fastened  together  at  their  very  tips ;  this  is  then 
slipped  over  the  head,  the  legs  of  the  skin  thus  tied 
togther  resting  on  the  right  shoulder,  and  the 
other  side  passing  under  the  left  arm.  This  is  the 
full  dress  of  a  woman.  Of  course  in  addition  to 
this  they  may  wear  as  many  beads  and  other  orna- 
ments as  they  can  afford;  strings  of  beads  around 
the  waist,  neck,  and  arms,  and  armlets  of  brass; 
sometimes  as  many  as  ten  or  twelve  brass  or  iron 
rings,  weighing  several  pounds,  and  extending 


126        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


from  the  hand  half  way  to  the  elbow.  These  are 
not  loose,  but  drawn  tight  to  the  flesh  and  each 
made  fast  by  the  blacksmith.  Dr.  McLaughlin 
and  Mr.  Giffen  removed  some  rings  from  one 
woman's  arm  where  the  flesh  was  actually  cut  by 
them.  What  delight  they  can  find  in  wearing 
these,  I  cannot  imagine,  unless  they  are  doing  some 
sort  of  penance.  They  surely  would  answer  very 
well  for  mortifying  the  flesh,  but  I  doubt  their 
efficacy  in  working  grace  in  the  heart.  Similar 
rings  of  iron  are  often  worn  by  the  older  women  on 
the  ankle.  These  are  very  heavy  and  produce 
great  knots  in  the  flesh. 

"  The  little  girls  wear  the  apron  only,  and  when 
a  little  older  put  on  the  shoulder  skin,  and  when 
full  grown  wear  the  skin  about  the  waist.  I 
should  mention  that  a  belle  among  them  is  often 
distinguished  by  having  small  sleigh-bells  at- 
tached to  the  waist-skin — shall  I  call  them 
skirts? — so  fastened  about  the  lower  edge  that  they 
jingle  as  she  walks. 

"  They  have  rather  large  hands  and  feet,  but, 
one  thing  very  noticeable  both  here  and  in  Omdur- 
man,  all  black  women,  who  go  almost  naked,  have 
the  fashionable  upright  form  very  pronounced.  So 
you  see  we  are  not  entirely  out  of  the  fashion  even 
in  the  Sudan.  And  the  way  these  people  do  walk ! 
You  would  think  they  all  belonged  to  royalty. 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  PEOPLE  127 


"  The  women,  too,  much  to  my  disgust,  are  given 
to  the  use  of  tobacco,  both  chewing  and  smoking, 
so  much  so  that  I  felt  like  mentioning  the  pipe 
as  among  the  articles  of  clothing.  The  pipe,  which 
is  made  of  clay  and  is  as  large  as  a  tea-cup,  has  a 
long  stem,  crowned  with  a  small  gourd  for  a  mouth 
piece.  Everywhere  they  go  they  carry  this  pipe 
and  draw  and  draw  at  it  in  quick  jerks,  even  when 
they  have  neither  tobacco  nor  fire.  And  sometimes 
in  lieu  of  tobacco  they  go  to  our  fire  and  fill  the 
pipe  with  live  wood  coals,  which  seems  to  quite 
satisfy  them.  The  first  time  we  saw  them  do  this 
we  were  alarmed,  but  as  there  seemed  to  be  no  evil 
results  we  ceased  to  feel  anxious. 

"  The  chewing  habit,  which  is  more  prevalent 
among  the  girls  and  young  women,  is  much  more 
annoying  to  me,  and  the  wad  is  so  large  that  it  even 
disfigures  them.  Just  now  there  were  a  lot  of 
girls  in  our  tent  all  chewing  and  spitting.  We 
protested,  but  they  only  seemed  amused.  Finally 
Mr.  Giffen  arose  and  ran  out  of  the  tent  saying: 
'  I  prefer  to  go  out  to  being  drowned  out.'  The 
men  are  much  less  given  to  this  habit  than  the 
women ;  nearly  all  the  old  men  use  the  pipe. 

"  The  men  are  physically  fine.  It  would  turn 
some  of  our  college  boys  '  green  with  envy  '  to  see 
some  of  the  best  specimens. 

"  To  begin  with  their  heads,  the  dressing  of  the 


128        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


hair  is  in  different  styles.  Here  it  is  most  com- 
mon for  the  women  to  shave  the  head,  but  often 
the  men  spend  much  care  on  theirs.  Some  of  the 
men  shave  the  head,  and  always  remove  the  beard 
by  pulling  it  out  by  the  roots,  just  as  they  clear 
a  field  of  grass  and  weeds.  But  a  man's  crown  is 
his  glory,  especially  when  well  groomed  or  rather 
padded. 

"  I  have  remarked  there  is  no  prevailing  style ; 
one  will  allow  the  hair  to  grow  on  the  crown,  with 
the  base  shaved  so  as  to  give  the  hair — wool — on 
the  top  the  appearance  of  a  cap.  Even  in  these 
caps  there  is  variety.  Sometimes  they  are  shaped 
quite  round;  again  oblong,  to  look  a  bit  like  a 
'  Glengary.'  Then  some  may  be  exactly  on  the 
top  of  the  head ;  others  a  little  to  one  side,  or  well 
back  on  the  head,  which  gives  them  a  jaunty  air. 
Then  there  is  the  '  helmet '  style,  if  I  may  so  call  it, 
which  must  be  seen  to  be  understood.  How  shall  I 
describe  it?  The  hair  is  matted  together  to  look 
much  like  the  coarse  felt  of  a  saddle  cloth.  How 
they  do  this  I  have  been  unable  to  learn.  Imagine, 
if  you  can,  a  piece  of  this  felt  cut  circular  so  as  to 
fit  the  curve  of  the  head  from  the  forehead  to  the 
neck  at  the  back,  and  projecting  front  and  back 
to  form  the  rim  of  the  helmet,  and  then  shorn  off  at 
the  sides  to  complete  the  crown  of  the  helmet. 

"  Another  very  common  form  is  the  shape  of  a 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  PEOPLE  129 


halo,  or  a  flat  piece  of  the  felt  attached  to  the  back 
of  the  head,  resembling  much  the  rim  of  a  black 
felt  hat  without  a  crown,  placed  on  the  back  of 
the  head,  while  the  fore  part  of  the  head  and  down 
to  the  ears  is  clipped  short.  There  is  the  cock's 
comb  shape — notched  on  top,  and  many  other 
shapes  that  I  cannot  name  or  describe. 

"  They  are  exceedingly  fond  of  light  or  blonde 
hair,  and  often  you  see  a  plaster  of  ashes  all  over 
the  head,  worn  thus  for  several  days  while  the  hair 
is  in  the  process  of  bleaching.  To  accomplish 
this,  they  pat  the  plaster  well  into  the  wool  and 
then  with  the  hands  gather  it  up  from  the  back 
and  bring  it  all  forward,  leaving  it  in  the  shape  of 
a  single  horn  in  front.  While  in  this  state,  they 
must  be  very  careful  not  to  break  it,  lest  they  break 
the  hair  all  off.  This  bleaching  process  takes  all 
the  kink  out  as  well  as  the  color,  and,  when  finished, 
it  stands  out  in  all  directions  like  the  feathers  on  a 
fighting  cock.  The  color  is  not  very  pleasing  to 
my  taste;  it  very  much  resembles  the  hair  of  a 
yellow  dog. 

"  Another  style,  very  common  to  both  men  and 
women,  is  to  allow  the  hair  to  grow  to  some  con- 
siderable length — as  long  as  it  will — and  then 
anoint  it  w^ell  with  a  pomade  of  their  own  mixing 
from  brick  dust  and  tallow,  after  which  it  is 
twisted  into  tiny  ringlets  which  fall  down  from  the 


130        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


crown  in  all  directions,  especially  over  the  fore- 
head and  eyes.  With  all  styles  they  wear  feathers, 
from  an  ostrich  plume  to  a  cock's  tail. 

"  They  have  fine  teeth  when  these  are  allowed  to 
grow,  but  the  men,  like  the  women,  extract  the 
front  teeth  of  the  lower  jaw.  Some  of  the  men 
wear  ear-rings,  but  these  are  the  exception.  Many 
wear  beads  on  neck  and  waist,  and  armlets  of 
ivory.  Some  of  these  armlets  are  beautiful,  and, 
in  striking  contrast  to  the  black  skin,  add  an  ar- 
tistic charm  to  the  appearance.  Bracelets  of 
copper  and  brass  adorn  the  wrist  and  forearm. 
Then  there  is  always  the  spear  and  the  club,  and 
behold !  a  Shulla  in  full  dress ! 

"  Some  of  the  men  wear  a  cloth  covering,  and 
the  number  who  do  so  is  increasing.  Of  course  it 
is  a  very  simple  affair:  A  piece  of  unbleached 
cotton  about  two  and  a  half  yards  long,  and  the 
width  of  the  cloth;  double  it  in  the  middle  and 
knot  two  of  the  corners,  and  the  garment  is  com- 
plete. Pass  this  over  the  head,  with  the  knotted 
corners  on  the  left  shoulder  and  the  cloth  under 
the  right  arm,  and  you  have  a  sleeveless,  neck- 
less  shirt,  open  from  the  shoulder  down  the  left 
side.  This,  with  the  exception  of  the  beads  and 
other  ornaments  already  described,  is  the  outfit  of 
the  most  elaborately  dressed  man. 

"  What  I  have  been  describing  is  the  common, 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  PEOPLE  131 


ordinary  dress.  They  have  also  a  dress  for  festal 
occasions,  which,  if  possible,  is  more  scant  than  the 
everyday  article.  Their  dance,  which  I  imagine 
is  partly  social  and  partly  religious,  may  occur 
at  any  season,  night  or  day.  Sometimes  they 
spend  several  days  in  dancing.  When  the 
mosquitoes  are  numerous,  they  confine  their  dances 
to  the  daytime.  On  these  occasions  the  men  in 
particular  are  in  fine  feather.  The  spears  are 
newly  polished,  and  on  the  handle  is  tied  a  new  tuft 
of  wool  or  feathers,  either  black  or  white,  white 
being  preferred,  and,  if  they  can  get  it,  a  strip  of 
red  cloth  is  tied  on,  too.  Then  they  carry  their 
shields  and  dancing  sticks.  The  ordinary  shoulder 
cloth  which  we  have  described  is  discarded ;  if  they 
can  afford  it,  a  skin  is  worn  instead,  not  as  a  cover- 
ing but  as  a  decoration.  A  leopard  skin,  or  part 
of  one,  is  preferred,  but  a  wild-cat  skin  is  more 
common ;  we  call  these  kilts  for  lack  of  a  better 
name,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  they  are  not  kilted 
at  all  but  fastened  quite  smoothly  around  the 
waist — tied  in  front.  Usually  this  kilt  is  just  long 
enough  to  come  half  way  to  the  knee.  If  they  can 
afford  it,  a  red  sash  is  added,  but  very  few  are  so 
fortunate.  Below  the  knee  is  a  strip  of  sheep  or 
goatskin  with  the  hair  on,  just  a  narrow  band  to 
which  is  attached  small  bells  or  anything  that  will 
jingle.    The  hair  is  usually  well  done  up,  and 


1S2        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


from  every  crown  springs  a  nodding  plume.  The 
whole  body  is  oiled  almost  to  dripping  and  shines 
like — well,  like  a  black  body  oiled.  To  make  them- 
selves more  hideous — but  they  say  because  the 
women  admire  them — the  body  thus  dripping  is 
sometimes  covered  with  red  dust  or  burned  clay 
and  fantastically  striped  with  ashes. 

"  The  women  accompany  the  men,  for  in  the 
Sudan  the  dance  is  promiscuous ;  but  they  are  more 
modestly  attired,  as  becomes  the  weaker  sex. 
Theirs  is  the  ordinary  dress,  with  shoulder  skin 
removed,  thus  uncovering  them  from  the  waist  up, 
giving  an  extreme  low-neck  and  short-sleeve  ef- 
fect. Jangling  bells  and  rings,  in  evidence  in 
these  ball  costumes,  rattle  like  '  the  pearly  teeth 
of  the  nut-brown  maiden.'  They  too  are  much 
oiled.  This  oiling  of  the  body  is  more  unpleasant 
than  in  Omdurman.  I  mean  unpleasant  to  the 
American,  though  I  believe  the  Shulla  finds  it  sweet. 
In  Omdurman  the  oil  is  perfumed  with  spices  of 
all  kinds,  and  the  freshly  anointed  body  greets  you 
from  afar  rather  pleasantly.  Here  too,  the  odor 
is  often  wafted  from  afar,  but  the  odor  is  of  rank 
grease." 

If  left  alone,  I  have  no  doubt  the  dress  of  the 
people  would  remain  very  much  as  it  is  and  has 
been  for  centuries,  viz. :  a  coat  of  grease  orna- 
mented with  a  few  beads.    But  they  cannot  be 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  PEOPLE  133 


left  alone.  Civilization  will  come  in  upon  them, 
whether  they  wish  it  or  not,  and  the  savage  and 
uncultivated  is  almost  certain  to  adopt  all  that  is 
objectionable. 

Missionaries  are  generally  charged  with  bring- 
ing about  dress  reform  among  the  half  civilized 
and  savage  races.  Possibly  missionaries  exert  an 
influence  in  this  direction,  as  do  other  representa- 
tives of  the  more  civilized  nations  residing  in  these 
countries ;  but  it  is  not  the  missionary's  wish  or  in- 
tention to  do  so.  It  is  simply  the  influence  that 
the  stronger  character  always  has  over  the  weaker, 
manifesting  itself  in  an  inevitable  imitation  of 
those  things  that  are  most  striking  and  generally 
least  important.  This  is  by  no  means  confined  to 
dress  only,  and  the  result  is  often  to  be  deplored. 

In  illustration  of  what  I  mean,  the  case  of  Prince 
A-Ko-Kwin  is  in  place.  On  his  first  visit  to  us  he 
wore  a  princely  robe,  as  has  been  described.  This 
robe  was  no  doubt  a  gift;  it  pleased  his  fancy  and 
he  wore  it.  Later  on  the  Prince  made  a  visit  to 
Khartum,  and  the  diaries  described  his  appearance 
after  his  return: 

"  Prince  A-Ko-Kwin  appeared  in  camp.  He 
had  gone  to  Khartum,  and  arrived  at  Taufikiyah, 
on  a  postal  steamer,  yesterday  evening.  He  has 
been  rigged  out  in  European  costume  of  a  blue- 
grey  color,  a  new  tarboosh  (fez),  a  pair  of  French 


134        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


brown  leather  boots,  an  umbrella,  a  riding  whip 
and  a  finger  ring.  He  evidently  felt  fine,  and  ap- 
peared very  comic.  A-Ko-Kwin  is  a  very  tall  man, 
but  his  height  is  mostly  legs,  with  corresponding 
long  arms.  He  is  very  slender,  and  no  longer  as 
to  body  than  many  a  shorter  person.  In  fitting 
him  with  a  suit,  only  the  body  of  the  coat  had  ap- 
parently been  taken  into  consideration,  without 
thought  as  to  the  length  of  sleeve  or  the  trousers. 
In  consequence  he  looked  as  if  dressed  in  a  hurry 
and  run  too  far  through.  Had  I  been  asked  for 
advice,  I  should  have  suggested  cutting  the  sleeves 
at  the  elbow  and  inserting  puffs ;  and  for  the  cover- 
ing of  the  lower  limbs,  to  meet  the  deficiency,  a 
half -yard  of  deep  umbrella  frills  at  the  bottom. 
He  *  had  no  idea  of  a  city  so  large  and  so  fine.' 
And  the  '  women  there  were  all  just  like  you.' 
That  time  the  '  gift  was  gied  me  to  see  myself  as 
others  see  me,'  and  I  was  not  flattered!  But  evi- 
dently in  more  things  than  in  dress  had  he  tasted 
of  civilized  life.  He  asked  for  some  brandy,  and 
insisted  that  we  must  have  it,  '  for  all  white  men  in 
Khartum  drink  it.'  I  fear  his  stay  in  the  capital 
was  not  good  for  his  morals.  The  strip  of  muslin 
and  ivory  armlet,  with  a  shining  spear,  was  cer- 
tainly much  more  becoming  than  the  frangi 
(European)  outfit." 
As  one  proceeds  up  the  Sobat  River  toward 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  PEOPLE  135 


Abyssinia,  the  people  are  still  more  nude,  if  pos- 
sible. Among  the  Dinka  and  Nuer  tribes,  as  we 
saw  them,  even  the  women  often  made  no  attempt 
to  cover  their  nakedness.  At  one  large  village  we 
saw  one  person  only  who  had  any  covering.  In 
other  places  there  would  be  a  few  exceptions  only. 

When  Dr.  McLaughlin  and  I  made  our  trip  of 
exploration  on  the  Sobat,  we  came  into  the  first 
village  of  the  Dinkas  on  a  Saturday  evening. 
Even  to  our  untrained  eye  the  difference  between 
them  and  the  Shullas  was  noticeable.  It  was  not 
so  much  in  the  form  and  features  of  the  people  as 
in  the  way  they  built  their  houses,  made  their 
spears,  and  in  their  general  appearance.  The 
covering  of  their  bodies  was  much  more  scant.  I 
believe  it  is  the  general  impression  of  those  who 
have  come  most  closely  into  contact  with  the  two 
tribes,  that  the  Dinkas  are  more  intelligent  and 
more  enterprising  than  the  Nuers  and  Shullas. 
This  did  not  seem  to  us  to  be  the  case,  if  intelligence 
and  enterprise  was  to  be  measured  by  their  habits  of 
life.  The  Dinkas  had  larger  herds,  but  this  could 
easily  be  accounted  for  from  the  fact  that  they 
had  suffered  less  from  the  raids  of  the  Mahdi  in 
recent  years,  their  places  being  a  little  more 
remote  from  the  line  of  travel.  We  still  have  the 
impression  that  the  Shullas  are  a  rather  royal 
people  among  the  blacks. 


136        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


On  the  Saturday  afternoon  mentioned  we  were 
very  tired.  It  had  been  hot,  and  we  had  been 
walking  nearly  all  week,  in  narrow  paths  shut  in 
by  tall  grass.  The  ground  was  cracked  and  hard 
and  little  sharp  clods  almost  cut  through  our  shoe 
soles.  We  were  very  weary,  but  were  pressing  on 
to  reach  this  village  where  we  expected  to  spend 
the  Sabbath. 

The  village  was  like  all  Dinka  villages  that  we 
have  seen.  The  houses  were  small,  circular  mud 
walls,  thatched  with  grass,  and  in  detached  groups, 
scattered  over  a  mile  along  or  near  the  river  bank. 
We  walked  on  through  this  village  until  we  came 
to  the  place  of  residence  of  the  chief,  for  whom  we 
inquired.  We  were  told  that  he  would  come 
presently.  In  the  middle  of  an  open  dust-covered 
court  we  threw  ourselves  down  in  the  shadow  of 
a  corn-stalk  fence  to  wait  the  arrival  of  the 
patriarch. 

At  intervals,  as  time  passed,  we  would  arouse 
ourselves  and  ask  if  the  chief  was  not  coming,  and 
would  always  receive  the  reply  "  at  once."  At 
last  we  heard  a  commotion  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  court,  and  looking  up  saw  coming  a  most  un- 
common creature  whom  we  supposed  to  be  the 
chief,  surrounded  by  his  advisers  and  a  throng  of 
people.  Not  one  in  the  crowd  was  dressed  or  had 
any  attempt  at  clothing  except  the  chief  himself 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  PEOPLE  137 


and,  in  contrast  to  his  people,  he  had  rather  an  ex- 
cess of  clothing,  being  clad  from  head  to  foot. 
As  he  approached  us  with  great  dignity,  in  a  man- 
ner evidently  meant  to  impress,  (and  we  were  im- 
pressed). Dr.  McLaughlin  and  I  arose  to  meet  him. 
Not  daring  to  look  at  the  doctor,  I  could  feel  rather 
than  see  that  he  was  convulsed  with  laughter. 
Outwardly,  I  think  I  was  very  calm.  We  saluted. 
A  skin  was  placed  for  the  chief,  and  we  all  sat 
down. 

The  king's  outfit — the  chief  is  called  mela,  or 
king — was  of  European  cut,  from  yellow  or  un- 
bleached cotton  cloth.  He  wore  underneath  a 
great  striped  red  and  white  athlete's  shirt.  Each 
garment  was  wrong  side  out,  and  evidently  he  had 
had  some  difficulty  in  managing  the  buttons.  The 
coat  was  next  to  the  shirt,  and  the  vest  over  the 
coat,  and  from  all  directions  pockets  protruded. 
On  his  head  was  an  embroidered  smoking-cap. 

Silence  followed  his  appearance,  and  for  some 
little  time  I  did  not  venture  to  speak.  We  finally 
told  him  that  we  were  travelers  passing  through 
his  country  and  wished  the  privilege  of  stopping 
in  his  village.  We  explained  that  the  following 
day  was  sacred  to  our  God,  and  that  we  did  not 
work,  but  that  we  wished  to  rest,  and  with  his  per- 
mission we  would  pass  the  time  in  his  village.  He 
was  rather  slow  at  making  reply,  but  first  asked 


138        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


us  where  we  were  from.  We  replied  that  we  were 
from  America.  This  puzzled  him.  He  knew  of 
many  black  tribes,  and  he  knew  of  two  white 
tribes — the  English  and  the  French;  but  he  had 
never  heard  of  the  Americans.  "  Are  you  like  the 
English?  "  he  asked.  "  Yes,"  we  replied,  "  very 
much  like  them ;  we  speak  the  same  language !  " 
"  But,"  we  continued,  "  we  are  a  different  people 
from  either  the  French  or  English."  After  think- 
ing a  little,  he  said :  "  You  see  this  suit  of 
clothes.?"  "Yes,"  we  said  we  did.  "Well,  the 
French  gave  me  this,"  and  then  he  hesitated  and 
looked  at  us.  We  made  no  reply.  "  When  the 
Governor  passed  this  way,"  he  continued,  "  I  pre- 
sented myself  in  these  to  do  him  honor.  I  thought 
he  would  be  pleased,  but  he  seemed  to  be  very 
angry,  and  asked  me  where  I  got  them.  When  I 
told  him  f rom  the  French,  he  said  to  me :  '  Take 
them  off ;  the  French  have  nothing  to  do  with  this 
country.'  I  did  not  know  whether  you  were 
French  or  English,  nor  how  you  might  regard  my 
clothes."  Either  the  explanation,  or  the  smile  that 
accompanied  it,  proved  satisfactory,  for  after  that, 
during  the  next  two  or  three  days,  he  wore  that 
suit  with  several  variations,  and  several  times  ap- 
peared without  it,  but  always  at  perfect  ease. 

The  habit  of  wearing  no  clothing  at  all  is  rather 
shocking  at  first,  but  one  soon  becomes  accus- 


DESCRIPTIVE  OF  THE  PEOPLE  139 


tomed  to  it.  In  a  climate  where  it  is  never  colder 
than  50  degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  where  the  tem- 
perature is  generally  much  above  that,  the  addi- 
tion of  clothing  would  seem  to  be,  to  the  native, 
foolishness.  We  did  not  attempt  to  instruct  them 
directly  on  the  subject.  The  law  of  example,  how- 
ever, soon  began  to  operate.  They  began  to  buy 
cloth  and  to  cover  themselves.  Twelve  months 
after  we  had  arrived  on  the  Sobat,  in  the  circle 
over  which  we  had  had  an  influence,  there  was  not 
perhaps  one  man  in  twenty  but  had  made  some  at- 
tempt at  clothing. 

There  was  too  a  very  noticeable  difference  in 
their  deportment  while  in  our  presence.  Just 
what  the  difference  was  is  not  easily  explained,  but 
it  was  clearly  a  change  of  conduct  toward  us,  and 
we  believe  a  change  for  the  better.  Something 
new  had  come  into  their  lives ;  an  influence  that 
would  remain.  In  their  attempt  to  copy  us  they 
had  begun  with  the  visible — ^but,  unconsciously 
perhaps,  they  were  learning  deeper  things. 


XII 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  SHULLA  TRIBE  AND  TRADITIONS 

There  is  great  similarity  among  the  beliefs, 
habits,  and  customs  of  the  Sudanese  tribes,  and 
yet  there  are  very  essential  differences.  No  two 
tribes  have  the  same  traditional  origin  for  the 
human  race,  or,  more  strictly  speaking,  for  their 
own  especial  tribe,  since  they  do  not  attempt  to 
account  for  the  human  race  as  a  whole,  but  ap- 
parently suppose  each  tribe  to  have  had  a  distinct 
origin. 

So  far  as  we  are  able  to  learn,  they  all  believe  in 
a  Great  Creator  of  all  things,  the  primal  power 
and  source  of  all  life. 

Their  sense  of  duty  and  responsibility  to  this 
Creator — whom  the  Shullas  call  Jo-uk — is  not 
very  great,  although  in  some  way  he  enters  into 
their  fortunes  and  misfortunes,  successes  and 
failures,  pleasures  and  sorrows,  and  almost  every 
condition  of  life.  For  instance,  if  a  man  dies 
suddenly,  is  slain  or  drowned,  it  is  considered  a 
judgment  of  Jo-uk,  and  because  of  some  sin  not 
perhaps  known  to  his  fellow-men. 

When  one  is  ill,  they  say  erra  Jo-uk,  or  "  why, 
140 


ORIGIN  OF  SHULLAS— TRADITIONS  141 


Creator  ? "  thus  attributing  the  sickness  to  this 
primal  power,  and  inferring  that  there  must  have 
been  some  cause  existing  in  the  person  so  afflicted. 

Generally  evil  is  attributed  to  Jo-uk,  but  not  so 
often  does  he  seem  to  be  the  author  or  source  of 
good;  that  is,  the  direct  source  of  blessing,  al- 
though if  closely  questioned  they  will  admit  that 
this  is  true. 

They  have  also  expressions  that  imply  their 
belief  in  the  providence  of  Jo-uk,  When  they 
meet  one  in  the  way,  a  common  salutation  is 
Yi  hell  Jo-uk  (God  has  carried  you).  To  one 
starting  on  a  journey,  they  say:  Yi  kuri  Jo-uk 
(God  keep  or  protect  you).  This  has  something 
of  the  meaning  of  our  good-by  or  God  be  with 
you. 

Yet  so  far  as  we  have  learned,  there  is  no  wor- 
ship offered  directly  to  Jo-uk,  no  sacrifices  made  to 
him,  and  no  religious  rites  or  duties  performed  in 
his  name.  Yet  they  do  sacrifice  too,  and  in  some 
vague  sense  worship  Jo-uk,  through  their  Nik- 
kang,  or  tribal  deity. 

From  their  tradition  we  learn  that  the  Nik-kang 
was  man — a  demi-god — and  the  direct  creator  or 
maker  of  the  Shulla  people.  To  him  sacrifices  are 
made,  at  least  once  a  year  at  the  beginning  of  the 
rainy  season,  and  much  of  good  and  evil  is  attrib- 
uted to  him.    This  sacrifice  consists  in  the  slay- 


142        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


ing  of  an  animal  by  the  priest  of  the  village,  for  the 
people  of  his  family  or  town  who  are  assembled  at 
the  house  of  Nik-kang.  Worship  is  made  to  Nik- 
kang;  the  animal  is  slain  with  a  holy  spear,  the 
flesh  divided  among  the  people  according  to  rule, 
cooked,  and  eaten.  Then  follows  a  dance,  with 
much  drinking  of  maris  a  (a  fermented  drink)  to 
keep  their  hearts  merry.  The  dancing  and  drink- 
ing may  be  kept  up  for  several  days,  and  no  doubt 
is,  or  has  been,  a  part  of  their  worship;  indeed  it 
seems  to  be  all  of  their  worship.  For  these  annual 
religious  festivals  there  is  a  special  house  or 
temple.  In  every  village  there  is  also  a  small 
temple,  modeled  after  the  fashion  of  the  greater 
ones.  Here  the  elders  of  the  people  assemble, 
around  it  rather  than  in  it,  for  the  transaction  of 
serious  business,  and  to  call  on  their  god  to  wit- 
ness in  all  covenants.  No  village  is  without  its 
small  temple,  or  house  of  Nik-kang,  and  it  is  the 
only  building  upon  which  any  ornamentation  is  at- 
tempted. It  is  called  too  "  the  house  of  Nik- 
kangy^^  not  the  house  of  Jo-uk. 

They  believe  that  Jo-uk  is  everywhere,  and  that 
every  man  when  he  dies  is  with  Jo-uk, 

They  have  no  word  for  heaven  as  a  place  of 
eternal  abode,  and  no  idea  of  a  hell,  although  they 
say  Jo^k  may  not  admit  to  his  presence  some  who 
have  been  very  bad;  but  it  is  not  known  what  be- 


ORIGIN  OF  SHULLAS— TRADITIONS  143 


comes  of  such.  Yi-e  Jo-uJc,  or  "  along  with  God," 
was  the  best  expression  we  could  find  for  heaven. 
The  old  man  who  gave  me  this  history,  catching  at 
our  idea  of  hell,  said:  "  Watt  majy''  or  "  house  of 
fire." 

To  make  the  foregoing  intelligible  we  must  know 
something  of  the  traditional  origin  and  history  of 
the  Shulla  people. 

When  I  asked  Ej-ja-win  (Mr.  Pond) — who, 
with  elder  Ariu,  gave  me  most  of  my  informa- 
tion on  this  subject — for  a  history  of  the  Shulla, 
he  began  with,  '  Nik-kang  was  the  son  of  U-kwa.' 
I  interrupted  him  to  ask  for  the  ancestors  of 
U-kwa.  He  replied:  "I  was  just  going  to  give 
you  that,"  and  then  proceeded  to  trace  them  back 
for  four  generations.  The  fourth  generation  back 
from  Nik-kang  was  D^ung  Adduk,  or  White  Cow. 
This  to  the  Shulla  is  the  origin  of  his  race.  D^ung 
Adduk  was  the  creation  of  Jo^k,  and  came  up  out 
of  the  Nile.  She  gave  birth  to  a  man  child  whom 
she  nursed.  This  man  was  called  Kola;  his  son 
was  U-mah-ra;  and  his  sot^  Wad-Maul;  and  his 
son  was  U-kwa,  the  father  of  Nik-kang.  This 
constitutes  one  epoch  in  their  history — from  White 
Cow  to  U-kwa,  four  generations. 

It  is  not  known  where  these  people  lived,  or 
from  where  came  the  mothers  of  the  race  after  the 
first  one,  Le,  the  White  Cow ;  but  doubtless  in  some 


144        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


miraculous  way  they  were  provided.  The  place 
where  the  race  originated  was  supposed  to  be  "  a 
long  way  off." 

U-kwa,  when  a  young  man,  lived  somewhere 
near  the  river.  Many  times  he  had  observed  two 
maidens  come  up  out  of  the  water  and  sport  in  the 
shallows  near  the  bank.  He  had  often  asked  a 
drink  of  them,  but  was  always  refused.  He 
noticed  that  their  faces  were  very  beautiful  and 
their  hair  long;  but  the  lower  part  of  their  bodies 
was  like  the  form  of  a  crocodile. 

U-kwa  was  sorely  vexed  with  these  maidens  who 
beguiled  him  to  the  river  only  to  laugh  at  him 
and  mock  him,  or  dive  back  into  the  river  and 
leave  him  astonished  and  chagrined.  One  day  he 
came  upon  them  suddenly  as  they  sat  together  on 
the  river  bank.  He  grasped  them  in  his  arms  and 
carried  them  away.  Their  screams  brought  their 
father  up  out  of  the  river.  His  presence  until  now 
was  unknown.  He  followed  liis  screaming  daugh- 
ters to  the  house  of  U-kwa. 

His  appearance  was  rather  terrifying,  for  the 
left  side  of  his  body  was  like  the  human  form,  but 
the  right  side  was  green  in  color  and  in  form  like 
the  crocodile. 

Terrified,  U-kwa  asked:  "  And  who  are  you?  " 
He  answered:  "I  am  U-dil-jil,  the  father 
of  Nik-ki-yah  and  Ung-wahd  whom  you  have 


ORIGIN  OF  SHULLAS— TRADITIONS  145 


stolen.  What  do  you  mean  to  do  with  my 
daughters  ?  "  XJ-hwa  replied :  "  I  am  going  to 
take  them  for  my  wives."  "  No,"  answered 
U-dil-jil,  "  no  one  will  marry  these  girls,  and 
moreover  they  will  give  birth  but  once  only." 

But  U-kwa  was  satisfied  with  his  prize  and  the 
prospect ;  so  they  made  a  feast  and  he  married  the 
sisters.  However,  if  tradition  speaks  not  falsely, 
Nik-Jci-yah^s  father  was  a  false  prophet,  for  she 
is  accredited  with  five  children — two  sons  and  three 
daughters — and  her  sister  with  one,  a  son. 

Now  the  remainder  of  this  narrative  is  chiefly 
concerned  with  one  son  of  Nik-hi-ydh,  her  elder 
son,  who  like  his  mother  and  maternal  grandfather, 
was  part  human  and  part  crocodile.  He  was 
named  NiJc-kang, 

At  this  point  in  the  narrative  Sheikh  Ej-ja- 
win  stopped,  and  declared  that  he  could  not  con- 
tinue the  story,  lest  his  ancestors,  who  are  always 
hovering  over  this  particular  region,  might  be- 
come incensed  by  so  frequent  and  familiar  use  of 
their  names  to  strangers.  I  told  him  not  to  feel 
alarmed;  that  moreover  I  could  not  give  him  a 
bolt  of  muslin  as  I  had  meant  to  do,  unless  he 
would  finish  the  narrative ;  and  that  besides,  if  his 
ancestors  were  as  reasonable  as  I  supposed  them 
to  be,  they  could  not  be  vexed  at  him  for  giving 
the  history,  when  the  relating  of  it  would  bring 


146        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


him  a  new  robe.  Neither  could  they  be  angry  with 
me  when  I  was  willing  to  pay  so  much  for  it.  He 
agreed  with  me  that  this  did  seem  reasonable  and 
proceeded : 

U-Jcwa  had  three  sons  from  a  third  wife,  the 
eldest  of  whom  was  Du-wad.  After  their  father's 
death  there  was  some  difficulty  in  determining 
who  should  be  at  the  head  of  the  kingdom,  some 
wishing  to  make  Dw-wad  king  in  his  father's 
stead,  and  others  preferring  Nik-kang.  The  feel- 
ing grew  so  strong  and  the  quarrel  raged  so  madly 
that  Nik-kang,  with  his  brothers  and  sisters — his 
own  mother's  children — and  Jew,  his  half-brother, 
the  only  son  of  his  mother's  sister,  came  away  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Sobat  River  and  there  established  a 
kingdom  of  their  own,  under  Nik-kang  as  king, 
with  Omoi,  his  full  brother,  and  Jew,  his  half- 
brother,  as  his  Ministers. 

The  Nik-kang  had  a  creative  power  which  he 
used  greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  new  kingdom. 
In  order  to  people  the  vast  territory  the  more 
quickly,  he  proceeded  to  create  a  people  from  the 
animal  life  he  found  in  the  forests  and  rivers. 
From  crocodile  and  hippopotami,  from  wild  beasts 
and  cattle,  he  formed  men  and  women.  When 
these  had  borne  many  children  the  parent  stock 
was  removed  by  death,  that  the  children  might 
never  learn  their  origin.    This  new  creation  and 


ORIGIN  OF  SHULLAS— TRADITIONS  147 


their  offspring  formed  the  Shulla  race  or  the  com- 
mon people,  in  distinction  from  those  descended 
directly  from  the  N'lk-kang  and  his  family.  The 
latter  continue  to  bear  authority,  and  fill  the 
priestly  office  until  this  day.  All  outside  the  royal 
and  priestly  line  are  reckoned  Shulla. 

Nik-ki-yah,  the  mother  of  Nik-kang,  still 
exists.  She  never  died  and  never  will,  according 
to  their  tradition.  The  region  of  the  Sobat  and 
the  White  Nile  near  there  are  her  favorite  places 
of  abode.  She  often  appears,  generally  in  the 
form  of  a  crocodile,  but  at  times  in  other  forms, 
and  always  in  the  river  or  on  its  banks.  No  sac- 
rifices are  ever  offered  to  her;  when  she  desires  she 
takes  what  is  required  from  among  men  or  beasts. 
When  she  does  this,  the  people  should  never  com- 
plain. Indeed  it  is  a  mark  of  distinction  when 
Nik-ki-yah  is  pleased  to  take  her  sacrifice  from  a 
family,  whether  of  man  or  of  beast. 

Sometimes,  so  the  story  goes,  she  returns  her 
victim,  after  a  longer  or  shorter  period.  Recently 
a  boy  is  said  to  have  disappeared  from  his  village. 
Search  was  made  for  him,  but  he  could  not  be 
found.  After  some  months  he  reappeared,  coming 
up  out  of  the  river.  At  first  his  head  only  ap- 
peared, then  his  shoulders,  and  finally,  little  by 
little,  the  whole  body  covered  with  mud  and  slime. 
After  lying  for  some  time  in  the  sun,  he  arose  and 


148        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


walked  to  his  house.  For  days  he  could  not  speak 
or  understand  the  speech  of  men,  but  talked  in  a 
strange  tongue.  He  had  been  with  Nik-M-yah! 
Other  equally  impossible  stories  are  told  and  be- 
Heved  by  every  Shulla. 

The  Nik-hi-yah  also  becomes  judge  in  certain 
difficult  cases  where  evidence  from  other  than  the 
parties  interested  cannot  be  procured.  The 
parties  in  dispute  are  taken  to  the  river  and  with 
them  a  goat.  They  are  made  to  wade  down  into 
the  water  up  to  the  waist  and  remain  there  until 
the  Nik-ki-yah  decides  by  taking  the  guilty  party. 
To  help  to  the  decision  the  goat  is  tied  to  a  stake 
on  the  bank.  It  may  be  that  the  goat  is  for  the 
purpose  of  allowing  the  Nik-Jciryah  to  give  a 
decision  proving  both  parties  innocent,  by  taking 
the  goat  instead,  but  I  believe  the  real  purpose  of 
the  goat  is  to  attract  the  crocodile  to  that  par- 
ticular spot  by  its  continual  bleating,  for  the 
rivers  are  full  of  crocodiles. 

The  beauty  of  this  method  of  appeal  to  the  Nik- 
ki-yah^s  judgment  is  that  fear  of  and  faith  in 
the  power  and  infallibility  of  the  Nik-ki-yah, 
coupled  with  a  bad  conscience,  usually  brings  con- 
fession.   Then,  of  course,  the  trial  is  at  an  end. 

To  the  Nik-ki-yah  also  are  ascribed  many 
wonderful  miracles,  but  in  actual  practice  it  is 
to  be  feared  she  becomes  a  cloak  for  sin.  Around 


ORIGIN  OF  SHULLAS— TRADITIONS  149 


this  mythical  being  and  her  demi-god  son  gather 
many  superstitions  which  God's  grace  and  truth 
alone  can  remove  in  His  time  from  the  life  of 
this  people. 

What  I  have  written  applies  to  the  Shulla  tribe 
alone.  There  are  several  tribes  of  these  black  peo- 
ple in  the  Egyptian  Sudan  and  each  has  its  own 
traditions  and  mythical  deity. 

The  following  extract  from  a  paper  entitled 
"  Religious  Beliefs  among  the  Natives  of  the  Bahr 
el  Ghazal,"  prepared  by  S.  L.  Cummins,  M.  D., 
of  the  Sudan  Army  Service,  will  give  some  idea  of 
similar  traditions  among  other  tribes: 

"  The  Dinka  .  .  .  have  a  most  elaborate 
list  of  gods.  At  the  head  of  the  list  are  Deng-dit 
— rain-giver, — and  AboJc,  his  wife.  They  have 
two  sons,  Kur  Konga^  the  elder,  and  Gurung-dit, 
the  younger,  and  a  daughter  called  Ai-yak, 

"  The  devil  is  called  Uwal  Burrajok,  and  he 
is  the  father  of  AhoTc,  the  wife  of  Deng-dit,  There 
are  other  relatives,  but  I  have  given  sufficient. 

"  Their  story  of  the  origin  of  mankind,  or  it  may 
be  of  the  Dinka  tribe  only,  is  as  follows : 

Deng-dit  gave  to  his  wife,  Abok,  a  bowl  of  fat, 
and  she  and  her  children  softening  the  fat  over 
the  fire,  proceeded  to  mold  from  it  men  and 
women  in  the  image  of  the  gods. 

"  Deng-dit  warned  her  against  Uwal — the  evil 


150        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


spirit — who  was  suspected  of  having  evil  inten- 
tions toward  Deng-dit.  But  Ahok  forgot  the 
warning  and,  with  her  children,  went  to  gather 
wood  in  the  forest.  Uwal  found  the  bowl  of  fat, 
drank  the  greater  part  of  it,  and  from  the  re- 
mainder proceeded  to  mold  caricatures  of  men 
and  women,  with  distorted  limbs,  mouths,  and  eyes. 
Then,  fearing  the  vengeance  of  Deng-dit,  he 
descended  to  earth  by  the  path  that  then  con- 
nected it  with  heaven. 

"  On  discovering  the  result  of  her  neglect,  Ahok 
hastened  to  tell  her  husband,  who,  greatly  incensed, 
started  in  pursuit  of  Vwal,  The  latter,  however, 
had  persuaded  the  bird  Atoi-toish  to  bite  asunder 
with  its  bill,  the  path  from  heaven  to  earth  and 
he  thus  escaped  from  the  divine  wrath. 

"  In  spite  of  this  complicated  mythology,  the 
Dinkas  appear  to  be  very  indifferent  to  religion 
as  an  active  principle  of  life.  They  are  without 
any  idea  of  prayer,  and  though  they  assert  that 
their  forefathers  made  great  sacrifices  to  God,  the 
present  generation  thinks  twice  before  parting 
with  a  goat,  to  say  nothing  of  a  cow,  for  sacri- 
ficial purposes.  Sacrifices  constitute,  however, 
their  only  attempt  at  intercourse  with  God.  In 
fact,  they  seem  to  regard  Him  not  as  a  Being 
likely  to  confer  benefits,  but  as  a  destructive  power, 
to  be  propitiated  if  possible." 


ORIGIN  OF  SHULLAS— TRADITIONS  151 


Of  the  numerous  other  tribes  in  and  around  the 
Sobat  region,  we  have  no  intimate  knowledge,  and 
have  had  no  opportunity  to  learn  anything  con- 
cerning their  religion  or  religious  thought,  but 
no  doubt  they  are  similar  to  these  mentioned.  A 
closer  study  of  their  language  and  habits  of  life 
will  no  doubt  modify  first  impressions  gained  from 
a  limited  study  of  the  people.  It  may  take  a  long 
time  to  deliver  these  tribes  from  their  superstitions 
and  wean  them  from  their  mythical  deities  and 
enthrone  in  their  lives  the  living  and  true  God; 
but  by  His  grace  and  spirit  it  can  be  done,  and 
they  are  worth  redeeming. 


XIII 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  CUSTOMS 

As  might  be  expected  among  a  savage  people,  the 
occupation  of  the  Sudanese  tribes  and  of  the 
Shullas  in  particular  is  almost  entirely  limited  to 
the  care  of  their  herds  of  cattle,  their  flocks  of 
sheep  and  goats,  and  to  the  cultivation  of  a  very 
small  portion  of  land.  There  are  but  two  skilled 
trades,  and  these  are  so  simple  that  sMll  is  hardly 
a  correct  term  to  apply  to  them. 

One  of  these  is  the  roofer's  trade,  that  of  plac- 
ing the  thatch  on  the  houses.  Although  this  is 
very  simple,  there  is  a  very  great  difference  in  the 
work  of  different  men.  The  difference  lies  in  the 
neatness  and  finishing  touches.  One  leaves  his 
roof  rough  and  with  loose  ends  projecting,  while 
another  will  smooth  up  his,  press  it  down  solid, 
and  beat  it  into  shape. 

In  this  respect  there  was  a  very  noticeable  dif- 
ference between  the  houses  of  the  Shullas  and  those 
of  the  Dinkas  or  Nuers.  The  latter  almost  inva- 
riably leave  the  roof  with  the  appearance  of  being 
unfinished.  Ends  of  grass  protrude;  while  the 
Shulla  roofei:  who  has  any  respect  for  his  own 

152 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  CUSTOMS  153 


reputation  leaves  his  roof  with  a  neatness  which 
calls  to  mind  a  well  groomed  and  neatly  barbered 
head  of  hair. 

The  style  of  house  among  the  tribes  is  practi- 
cally the  same.  Almost  anyone  can  build  the  walls, 
which  are  of  mud.  A  little  more  skill  is  required 
in  placing  the  rafters  for  the  support  of  the  roof 
and  in  tying  the  canes  for  the  thatch.  The  frame- 
work of  the  roof  is  always  made  on  the  ground 
and  placed  on  the  walls  like  a  great  conical  cap. 

No  nails  or  iron  of  any  kind  enter  into  these 
buildings.  Rope  is  made  from  grass  or  leaves  of 
the  doom-palm.  With  this  all  the  parts  are  tied 
together,  and  the  latch  is  also  fastened  in  place 
with  rope.  The  door  is  a  mat  of  grass  or  cane. 
There  are  no  windows.  Each  house  is  a  single 
room,  or  more  properly,  each  house  is  a  number  of 
detached  rooms ;  for  as  a  rule  each  family  has 
more  than  one  of  these  little,  conical,  hay-stack 
huts.  There  are  as  a  rule  from  two  to  five  of 
these  for  each  family,  and  they  are  placed  in  a 
semi-circle  with  the  open  space  thus  formed  be- 
tween them,  enclosed  with  a  fence  of  corn-stalks. 
However,  the  black  people  are  not  given  to  follow- 
ing rules,  and  they  build  as  their  fancy  pleases. 
A  village  consists  of  a  number  of  these  family 
groups,  generally  so  built  as  to  leave  a  great  open 
space  in  the  center,  which  might  be  called  the  town 


154        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


park.  Here  and  there  is  sometimes  a  tree,  but 
more  often  nothing  to  give  shelter. 

Every  village  has  one  or  more  stables,  accord- 
ing to  the  size  of  the  village,  where  the  village 
herds  are  kept  at  night.  These  are  built  in  the 
same  form  and  of  similar  material  as  their  dwell- 
ings, but  with  twice  the  diameter.  In  the  center 
of  each  stable  there  is  a  place  for  fire,  which  is 
kept  smoldering  every  night  during  the  season 
when  the  mosquitoes  are  numerous.  The  smoke 
is  for  the  protection  of  the  cattle  from  the  attack 
of  the  mosquito,  and  also  for  the  men  who  always 
keep  guard  at  night.  The  door  is  necessarily 
larger  than  that  of  a  dwelling,  but  there  are  no 
windows  or  holes  for  ventilation,  and  when  a  mat 
is  placed  over  the  one  opening  and  a  smoke  pro- 
duced inside,  it  is  a  mystery  to  me  how  the  cattle 
and  men  live. 

In  the  dwelling  the  same  plan  is  followed  for  the 
protection  of  their  naked  bodies  from  the  savage 
attacks  of  the  mosquitoes.  A  fire  is  kindled  in 
the  center  of  the  one  room.  The  fuel  generally 
used  is  the  refuse  from  the  stables,  dried  in  the 
sun.  This  creates  a  great  deal  of  smoke  with  but 
little  flame.  Closing  the  door  with  a  thick  mat, 
they  wrap  themselves  in  a  cloud  of  smoke  and  lie 
down  to  sleep.  In  addition  to  the  garment  of 
smoke,  either  for  protection  from  the  sting  of 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  CUSTOMS  155 


insects  or  to  dimmish  somewhat  the  effect  of  the 
low  temperature  of  the  night  during  this  season, 
they  have  the  habit  of  covering  their  bodies  with 
ashes.  The  effect  as  they  emerge  from  their 
house  in  the  morning  is  rather  starthng.  It  gives 
a  ghostly  appearance  almost  alarming. 

The  walls  and  floors  of  the  houses  are  plastered 
with  a  thin  mud  rubbed  on  with  the  hand.  This 
is  the  work  of  the  women.  The  plaster  fills  in  the 
holes  and  ridges  left  in  building,  and  adds  very 
greatly  to  the  neat  appearance  of  the  houses.  The 
only  furniture  is  a  forked  limb  for  a  head  rest, 
and  a  pot  for  the  marisa,  A  little  wisp  of  grass 
makes  a  convenient  broom.  The  houses  are  kept 
exceedingly  neat,  in  spite  of  the  lack  of  furniture, 
or  perhaps  because  of  it. 

This  marisa,  to  which  we  have  referred,  is  the 
common  drink,  and  almost  the  common  food  of 
the  black  people.  It  is  found  everywhere  in  the 
Sudan,  and,  indeed,  throughout  Africa.  It  is 
estimated  by  the  people  that  two-thirds  of  all 
grain  grown  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  this 
drink.  It  is  generally  made  from  the  grain  of 
sorghum,  grown  everywhere  in  the  Sudan.  The 
country  is  large  and  the  division  into  tribes  so 
numerous  that  there  are  many  methods  of  brew- 
ing, or  fermenting,  but  the  most  common  may 
be  described  as  follows: 


156        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


The  grain  is  placed  in  earthen  jars  and  water 
poured  over  it.  It  is  then  allowed  to  stand  until 
the  grain  has  well  sprouted.  It  is  then  spread  in 
the  sun  to  dry.  When  dry,  it  may  be  cleared  of 
earth  by  shaking  in  a  sieve  made  of  grass  fibers, 
then  pounded  or  rubbed  into  a  meal.  It  is  then 
mixed  with  flour  from  the  fresh  grain  and  put,  a 
second  time,  into  jars  which  are  filled  with  water. 
After  stirring  and  mixing  well,  a  little  dry  meal 
is  sprinkled  on  top ;  the  jars  are  covered  with  mats, 
and  allowed  to  remain  a  day  or  two,  or  until  it 
begins  to  ferment,  when  a  little  more  water  and 
meal  are  added.  When  the  whole  mass  is  well  fer- 
mented it  is  filtered  through  a  grass  funnel,  and 
the  following  day  is  ready  for  use.  It  will  keep 
about  a  week. 

With  our  black  people  on  the  Sobat  a  little  less 
care  is  taken  in  its  preparation.  When  finished 
it  has  very  much  the  appearance  of  a  bran  mash, 
and  in  taste  is  like  buttermilk. 

This  is  practically  the  food  of  the  people.  For 
days  together  they  may  have  nothing  else.  If 
anything  is  eaten  besides  the  marisa,  it  will  be 
a  kind  of  porridge,  also  fermented,  or  the  whole 
grain  either  boiled  or  uncooked.  That  this  drink 
intoxicates  there  is  no  doubt,  but  as  generally 
used  by  the  blacks  it  is  little  more  than  a  slight 
stimulant. 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  CUSTOMS  157 


The  only  fruit  on  the  Sobat,  either  wild  or  culti- 
vated, is  that  of  the  doleib  palm,*  which  although 
rather  pleasant  in  flavor,  is  very  fibrous  and  of 
but  little  value.  The  people  cultivate  no  vege- 
tables, and  those  growing  in  the  wild  state  are  of 
inferior  quality  and  seldom  eaten. 

A  domestic  animal  is  never  slain  for  food;  their 
only  supply  of  meat  is  from  game  and  fish; 
although  these  abound  they  are  not  eaten  in  any 
great  quantities  as  one  would  suppose.  Indeed, 
the  diet  is  almost  exclusively  the  grain  of  the  sor- 
ghum, as  above  described.  They  do  not  object  to 
eating  flesh,  but  do  not  wish  to  dispose  of  their 
cattle.  These  are  not  now  held  sacred,  but  the 
value  they  attach  to  them  would  lead  one  to  sup- 
pose they  had  been  so  at  some  time,  and  the  tra- 
dition of  their  origin  from  the  cow  would  lend 
further  support  to  this  belief. 

They  have  great  herds  of  cattle,  in  which  they 
take  much  pride,  and  breed  and  tend  them  with 
unusual  care.  The  great  plains,  rich  in  pasture 
all  the  year  through,  make  the  raising  of  cattle 
a  simple  and  easy  occupation.  The  men  and  boys 
attend  these  herds  while  in  pasture,  drive  them  to 
water,  sleep  with  them  at  night,  but  never  use 
them  as  beasts  of  burden.  Their  only  value  seems 
to  be  their  use  as  dowry  in  securing  a  wife  and  for 
^Boeassus  Aethiopicus 


158        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


furnishing  milk.  From  three  to  five  head  is  the 
price  of  a  wife.  Few  young  men  are  able  to  pos- 
sess a  herd.  For  this  reason  they  do  not  marry 
young,  as  is  the  custom  in  Egypt  and  among 
Mohammedans  everywhere.  This  I  think  will 
account  for  their  well  formed  bodies.  The  man 
with  a  family  of  daughters  is  an  object  of  envy 
to  every  young  man,  because  he  possesses  what  the 
aspiring  youth  most  covets — cattle  and  wives. 

The  dowry  once  provided,  marriage  is  a  very 
simple  affair,  and  practically  there  is  no  divorce; 
the  number  of  wives  is  limited  only  to  the  number 
of  cattle  one  is  able  to  possess.  However,  the 
exchange  of  cattle  for  a  wife  is  really  a  public 
marriage  contract,  and  is  not  a  simple  business 
transaction,  for  the  wife  thus  secured  is  not  a 
slave,  to  be  sold  or  exchanged  for  another;  she 
becomes  a  lawful  wife  that  cannot  be  put  away. 
The  woman,  too,  gives  her  consent,  without  which 
no  contract  is  made;  a  step  in  advance  of  some  of 
the  other  half -civilized  people  of  the  Nile  valley. 

Among  the  Shulla  there  is  a  respect  shown  to 
the  women  that  is  not  observed  among  the  Mo- 
hammedans anywhere.  The  women  assemble  with 
the  men,  talk  with  them,  discuss  the  affairs  that 
interest  them,  accompany  them  everywhere,  even 
to  their  dances  and  religious  feasts.  There  is  a 
reasonable  division  of  labor  also;  while  the  men 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  CUSTOMS  159 


tend  the  flocks,  build  the  houses,  and  clear  away 
the  grass  preparatory  to  the  planting,  the  women 
help  in  planting,  cultivating,  and  harvesting  the 
grain ;  which  seems  only  just,  since  the  duties  in 
the  house  are  very  light,  indeed. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  esteem  in  which  the 
women  are  held  the  following  incident  is  in  place: 

One  day  a  man  brought  a  small  quantity  of 
grain  which  he  wished  to  exchange  for  beads  of  a 
certain  color.  As  it  happened,  there  were  no  beads 
of  that  particular  kind  in  the  store.  He  refused 
to  take  any  other,  and  carried  the  grain  home 
again,  saying,  "  My  wife  wished  these  only,  and 
the  corn  is  hers." 

Affection  of  parents  for  children,  too,  is  not 
wanting.  It  is  an  affection  not  usually  seen  even 
among  a  higher  grade  of  civilized  life.  In  Egypt 
abuse  of  children  is  so  common  that  it  is  rare  to 
find  a  child  that  has  not  a  slavish  dread  of  being 
beaten.  When  they  enter  school  it  has  often  been 
observed  that  any  sudden  motion,  as  the  lifting  of 
the  hand  without  any  intention  to  strike,  will 
cause  the  child  to  cry  out  and  shrink  away  with 
fear,  or  cover  the  face  and  head  in  alarm.  There 
is  none  of  this  among  the  black  children.  The 
mother  often  places  the  infant  in  a  long  basket 
or  bed  made  of  grass ;  this  she  carries  on  her 
head  or  covers  with  a  mat  in  some  secure  place. 


160        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


whik  the  child  sleeps.  The  affection  of  the  mother 
for  her  child  may  be  somewhat  akin  to  that  of 
the  brute  mother  for  her  offspring,  but  even  this 
is  natural  at  least,  and  often  very  tender. 

The  planting  and  cultivation  of  their  fields  is, 
like  everything  they  do,  very  simple.  The  soil  being 
so  very  fertile,  it  is  only  necessary  to  get  the  seed 
into  the  ground  to  insure  a  crop  wherever  there 
is  the  ordinary  rainfall.  Of  cultivation,  as  we 
understand  it,  there  is  none.  When  the  weeds  and 
gr«ass  become  too  tall,  they  are  pulled  up,  as  when 
the  ground  was  first  prepared  for  planting. 
There  is  no  stirring  of  the  soil  either  before  or 
after  planting.  Just  enough  ground  is  planted 
to  supply  needed  food  provided  there  be  an 
ordinary  r-ainfall;  if  the  latter  fails,  there  will 
probably  be  famine. 

A  very  few  of  the  men  are  blacksmiths,  but 
their  skill  is  limited  to  making  spear  heads,  and 
forming,  in  a  crude  way,  the  metal  ornaments 
worn  by  both  men  and  women.  Every  man,  wher- 
ever he  goes,  carries  a  spear.  He  never  leaves  his 
home  without  the  spear,  not  even  to  go  into  the 
fields  to  work.  Besides  this,  he  will  usually  have 
two  clubs.  One  is  simply  a  long,  tapering  cane, 
heavy  at  one  end.  The  other  is  about  two  feet 
and  a  half  long,  made  in  one  solid  piece  of  hard, 
heavy  wood,  with  a  big  round  knob  at  one  end. 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  CUSTOMS  161 


With  either  of  these  clubs  one  could  deal  a  most 
effective  blow. 

In  all  the  black  man's  domestic  economy  he 
simply  labors  in  order  to  eat,  and  eats  in  order  to 
live,  while  the  highest  enjoyment  of  life  culminates 
in  the  dance.  So  we  may  say,  the  ShuUa  labors, 
eats,  and  lives,  to  dance.  Almost  any  event  may 
be  an  occasion  for  feasting  and  dancing — a  mar- 
riage, a  death,  a  hunt,  or  a  victory.  Whether 
it  is  purely  social  or  semi-religious,  the  form  of 
celebration  is  the  same  and  is  always  accompanied 
with  the  drinking  of  much  marisa. 

The  festivities  usually  begin  in  the  afternoon, 
and  if  the  weather  is  fine  and  there  are  no 
mosquitoes,  and  especially  when  the  nights  are 
gladdened  by  the  splendor  of  a  full  moon,  the 
dancing  goes  on  until  the  next  morning.  A  single 
day  and  night  is  often  not  sufficient,  two  or  three 
days  and  nights  witnessing  a  continued  festival. 

We  always  knew  when  there  was  such  an  occa- 
sion in  the  neighborhood,  for  early  in  the  after- 
noon young  men  and  maidens  in  full  war-paint 
were  coming  and  going,  and  the  jingle  of  bells 
was  heard  constantly  as  dancing  groups  passed 
our  houses.  They  were  always  a  merry  lot,  and 
frequently  stopped  to  display  their  outfit  and  their 
skill  in  dancing.  Ordinarily  the  older  men  and 
women  do  not  take  part. 


162        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


Personally  I  have  witnessed  but  one  such  dance, 
and  that  was  given  at  our  place — Doleib  Hill — 
and  for  our  special  benefit,  and  was  without  the 
marisa  pot,  which  to  them  is  indispensible.  On 
that  occasion  the  men  of  a  nearby  village  had 
volunteered  to  come  and  give  us  a  display  of  arms, 
but  we  were  really  not  prepared  for  what  was  to 
happen.  In  the  first  place  they  came  two  days 
earlier  than  we  had  expected  and  then  came  early 
in  the  day,  in  order  to  surprise  us.  And  they 
did  surprise  us. 

The  first  intimation  we  had  of  their  coming,  or 
rather  of  their  presence  on  that  particular  morn- 
ing, was  a  whoop  and  the  sound  of  a  horn  that 
sent  a  chill,  and  kept  it  shooting  up  and  down  the 
spinal  column.  We  rushed  out  on  the  veranda, 
and  saw  at  the  foot  of  our  hill,  and  only  a  few 
rods  away,  that  the  clans  had  assembled.  There 
were  about  one  hundred  men  and  boys  with  their 
spears  and  war  clubs,  their  bodies  shining  with 
oil,  and  their  spears  shining  from  vigorous  rub- 
bing, while  their  faces  were  hideous  with  white 
and  red  paint — brick-dust  and  ashes.  They  kept 
leaping  in  the  air,  yelling  and  blowing  that  soul- 
sickening  horn.  Little  by  little  they  came  toward 
us,  stooping  low,  hiding  behind  trees,  gliding  back 
and  forth  until  they  were  in  front  of  the  house. 
Then  I  stepped  out  and  smiled  at  them,  when  sud- 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  CUSTOMS  163 


denly  with  a  yell  that  was  not  earthly,  they  sprang 
in  the  air,  the  first  line  made  as  if  throwing  the 
spear,  and  suddenly  dropped  down  for  the  follow- 
ing ranks.  Again  they  all  sprang  up  into  the  air, 
yelling,  dancing,  singing,  and  brandishing  spears, 
then  circled  around  the  house  and  attacked  from 
another  quarter. 

These  maneuvers  were  kept  up  for  some  time, 
and  they  grew  more  excited  and  more  wild  all  the 
while.  Then,  at  a  command  from  their  chief,  they 
ceased  and  began  to  dance.  Dancing  with  the 
Shulla  means  jumping  up  and  down  in  the  same 
spot,  accompanied  with  a  sort  of  chanting  sing- 
song, throwing  the  arms  over  their  heads  and 
flourishing  spears  and  clubs. 

Again  they  formed  in  line  of  battle,  five  ranks 
deep,  with  a  front  of  twenty,  each  man  with  spear 
and  shield.  The  horn  sounded  the  advance  and 
away  they  charged  at  the  Doctor's  house.  They 
seemed  to  get  the  very  spirit  of  murder  in  their 
faces.  They  charged  in  good  order;  the  front 
rank,  striking  at  an  imaginary  foe,  dropped  to 
their  knees  to  allow  the  other  ranks  to  strike  over 
their  heads,  and  then  the  horn  sounded  the  retreat ! 
Around  our  house  they  went  in  a  regular  stampede, 
and  formed  in  a  line  again  in  front  of  the  house 
for  another  charge. 

This  they  repeated  a  number  of  times.  Then 


164        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


a  crowd  of  women,  who  had  followed  their  hus- 
bands and  sweethearts  to  battle,  acted  the  part 
of  foe,  only  to  be  overcome  by  the  brave  warriors 
and  driven  back.  This  part  was  very  amusing. 
One  old  body  with  great  bravery  marched  out  and 
charged,  using  her  pipe  as  her  weapon.  The  men 
were  a  bit  rough  in  driving  her  back  and  she  was 
evidently  afraid  her  dear  pipe  would  come 
to  grief,  so  she  took  it  inside  our  house  and  when 
next  we  saw  her  she  was  in  the  thick  of  the  fray 
with  a  long  weed  as  her  weapon  of  offense  and 
defense. 

Then  our  interpreter,  Mohammed,  came  over 
and  asked  that  a  gun  be  fired.  Dr.  McLaughlin 
brought  out  a  gun.  The  men  were  then  in  line 
before  his  house  and  he  came  over  to  where  we 
were  all  standing  in  front  of  our  house,  and  fired 
into  the  air.  Such  a  howl  and  whoop  as  came 
from  the  Shullas  cannot  be  described.  Toward  us 
they  came  as  if  they  meant  to  pin  each  of  us  to 
the  ground  with  a  dozen  of  spears.  It  was  soon 
all  over.  The  women  and  girls  danced,  catching 
hands  and  singing  as  they  danced. 

We  then  had  all  the  men  seated  and  spoke  to 
them.  We  told  them  of  our  country  and  our  peo- 
ple, and  why  we  had  been  sent  to  them. 

Their  chief  arose  and  replied  that  they  now 
believed  us  to  be  their  friends.    At  first  they  were 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  CUSTOMS  165 


suspicious,  but  not  now.  If  we  needed  them,  they 
would  fight  for  us.  This  gave  us  occasion  again 
to  say  that  we  hoped  that  there  would  be  no  more 
war  in  the  land;  that  the  men  should  tend  their 
flocks  and  herds  and  till  the  land,  and  become  a 
happy  people. 

After  singing  to  them  and  amusing  them,  they 
all  went  away,  each  carrying  a  present  of  a  few 
beads.  We  had  been  amused  and  entertained,  but 
were  weary  also  from  the  excitement,  and  agreed 
that  we  did  not  wish  to  attend  such  a  function 
every  day.  As  we  sat  down  and  began  to  meditate, 
we  would  look  at  each  other,  and  kept  repeating 
"  And  suppose  they  had  met  us  thus  when  we  first 
came  here?  "  We  thanked  God  that  it  was  only  a 
sham  battle. 

A  funeral  feast  has  been  so  well  described  by 
the  Rev.  R.  E.  Carson  that  I  venture  to  quote 
from  his  article: 

"  The  man  in  whose  honor  the  feast  was  to  be 
held  had  died  nearly  a  year  before  and  this  feast 
corresponded  to  a  formal  act  of  mourning  for  him. 
I  am  told  that  it  may  occur  in  a  month,  six  months, 
or  a  year  after  death,  as  soon,  in  fact,  as  the 
*  estate '  is  settled  up,  i.e.,  his  cows,  goats,  etc., 
divided ;  but  my  information  on  this  point  is  vague. 
In  the  present  instance,  the  man  was  a  brother  of 
a  village  sheikh,  or  village  ruler,  but  not  wealthy ; 


166        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


so  that  the  bull  slain  did  not  come  from  the  flock 
of  the  deceased,  but  was  furnished  by  his  son-in- 
law,  the  daughter  having  recently  married  a  well- 
to-do  man. 

"  He  lived  in  Pailo,  the  nearest  village  to  us, 
which  was  the  scene  of  the  festival  and  which  there- 
fore we  might  easily  visit.  His  manner  of  death 
throws  light  upon  the  Shullas'  greatest  enemy 
since  the  slave  dealers  have  ceased  to  make  their 
desolating  raids.  He  was  fishing  along  the  river, 
wading  close  to  the  bank,  when  a  crocodile  seized 
him,  and  though  unable  to  draw  him  under,  broke 
and  mutilated  his  leg.  The  man's  friends  killed 
the  crocodile,  but  the  man  died  after  lingering  a 
few  days.  However,  there  was  no  touch  of  sad- 
ness or  apparent  thought  of  the  dead  at  the  feast; 
all  was  high,  heathen  revelry — a  war  dance  fol- 
lowed with  the  slaying  and  dividing  up  of  a  bull. 

">The  warriors  of  three  or  four  villages  assem- 
bled; we  joined  the  contingent  from  Mainam 
(four  to  five  miles  from  us  and  where  our  man 
Mohammed  lives).  I  cannot  pretend  to  describe 
the  wild  scene:  the  men  dressed  in  every  fantastic 
way  they  could  think  of ;  their  hair  plastered  and 
done  up  in  various  queer  forms,  sometimes  deco- 
rated with  ostrich  feathers  or  those  of  other  birds, 
their  faces  smeared  with  ashes,  bodies  greased  and 
decorated  with  whatever  of  beads  and  ornament 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  CUSTOMS  167 


they  could  muster;  their  loins  girt  with  the  most 
fancy  leopard  and  other  skins  procurable  for  the 
occasion,  or  with  strips  of  bright  colored  cloth,  red 
being  the  favorite. 

"  When  we  reached  the  place  we  found  a  couple 
of  bare  poles  set  up  in  the  center  of  the  middle 
court  of  the  village  around  which  the  women  were 
dancing,  uttering  the  shrill  joy-cry  which  closely 
resembles  the  wedding  cry  of  Egypt  (a  '  lu-lu-lu ' 
uttered  in  the  shrillest  treble).  They,  too,  were 
dressed  in  all  the  gew-gaws  they  could  muster, 
and  one  of  them — a  daughter  of  the  deceased — 
carried  above  her  head  with  her  two  hands  the 
skin  of  the  crocodile  which  had  killed  her  father. 
Apparently  it  was  a  trophy  of  victory  over  their 
deadly  enemy. 

"  When  the  braves  reached  the  village  they  half 
encircled  it  and  entered  it  on  the  run  from  the 
rear,  with  large  shields  (made  of  crocodile  or  other 
skins)  held  by  the  left  hand  in  front  of  them  and 
spears  brandished  in  the  right.  They  advanced  in 
battle  array,  five  or  six  abreast,  and  took  up  their 
position  outside  of  the  dancing  circle  of  women 
and  girls. 

"  Then  they,  too,  made  the  circuit  time  and  time 
again,  leaping  in  the  air,  running  forward  a  few 
rods,  then  receding,  all  the  time  with  shields  and 
weapons  held  in  position,  then  pretending  to  hurl 


168        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


the  spear,  immediately  thereafter  crouching  down 
behind  the  large  shields,  pretending  to  await  the 
volley  of  the  enemy;  then,  leaping  up  again  with 
wild  yells,  they  would  proceed  as  before. 

"  Presently  the  warriors  from  another  village 
(A-pi-o,  across  the  river  from  us)  entered,  got 
into  line  and  went  through  the  same  performances. 
Later  the  men  from  Pailo  joined  and  perhaps 
from  other  villages  also.  I  know  of  no  form  of 
manual  labor,  unless  it  be  wood-chopping  or  board 
ripping  well  prolonged,  that  would  be  more  wear- 
ing, yet  they  did  not  seem  to  tire,  but  kept  it  up 
for  hours.  We  got  there  before  eleven  and  found 
they  had  begun;  at  twelve  I  went  home  and  took 
Mrs.  Carson  down,  and  they  were  still  at  it  at  one 
o'clock  when  the  bull  killing  took  place.  However, 
now  and  then,  a  brave  would  drop  out,  retire  to  a 
convenient  tuJcl  (hut )  to  imbibe  marisa,  and  return 
to  the  dance. 

"  At  length  they  did  seem  to  weary  of  the  run- 
ning, shouting  and  jumping,  their  ranks  dwindled 
considerably,  the  mansa-tukl  grew  in  popular 
favor.  Then  a  large  horned,  fierce-looking  bull 
was  led  from  an  enclosure  to  a  doleib  palm  tree 
just  outside  the  village.  It  reared  and  plunged 
and  rolled  its  eyes  wickedly,  indeed,  it  was  said 
that  a  special  reason  for  offering  it  was  that  it 
was  known  as  a  vicious  bull.    The  two  men  at  the 


OCCUPATIONS  AND  CUSTOMS  169 


ropes  fastened  to  its  horns  led  it  from  the  tree, 
and  a  Shulla  hurled  his  spear,  making  an  ugly 
gash  in  its  side,  another  and  another  pierced  it 
near  to  the  heart,  until  the  poor  brute  ran  for 
some  one  hundred  yards  and  fell,  bleeding  freely 
and  presenting  a  revolting  spectacle. 

"  Is  there  some  religious  meaning  to  the  cere- 
mony? I  think  there  must  be  from  the  fact  that 
it  is  a  bull  that  is  slain.  Covered  up  with  heathen- 
ish revelry,  it  is  difficult  to  discover  the  true  sig- 
nificance of  the  rite,  if  it  has  one.  Doubtless 
when  I  am  able  to  talk  to  the  people  freely,  I  will 
find  out  something  from  them. 

"  We  did  not  wait  for  the  dividing  up  of  the 
bull;  those  of  each  village  received  a  share  which 
they  carried  off  to  be  eaten  at  their  own  village." 

Death,  of  course,  comes  to  these  people  as  it 
comes  to  all  living,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  oppress 
them.  They  do  not  grieve  long  for  their  dead. 
When  death  does  occur,  they  bury  nearby — pos- 
sibly in  the  house  or  just  outside  of  it — and  level- 
ing over  the  earth,  they  leave  no  sign  for  future 
remembrance. 

The  following  incident  may  fittingly  close  this 
chapter : 

"  There  was  a  fire  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  From  the  village  north  of  us  two  men 
started  to  cross  in  a  canoe, — they  wanted  to  go 


170        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


hunting  in  the  path  of  the  fire.  There  was  a  very 
strong  wind  blowing  from  the  north,  and  our  men 
said  they  should  not  try  to  cross. 

"  When  in  the  middle  of  the  stream  the  boat 
capsized  and  both  men  were  thrown  out.  One  got  to 
the  shore,  the  other  was  drowned.  Few  of  the  peo- 
ple know  how  to  swim.  Because  of  crocodiles  in 
the  river  they  have  no  chance  to  learn.  They 
said  they  got  the  man's  body  yesterday  evening, 
at  any  rate  the  voice  of  wailing  reached  us  all 
night.  I  cannot  make  out  who  the  man  is, 
although  they  say  he  was  often  here  and  worked 
for  us.  Some  of  the  workmen  saw  the  boat  upset, 
but  could  not  be  urged  to  try  to  save  him.  When 
asked  '  Why  did  not  some  of  you  take  our  boat 
and  try  to  reach  him?  You  might  have  saved  him.' 
The  answer  was  '  He  did  not  belong  to  our  village.' 

"  One  of  the  women  in  talking  to  me  spoke  of 
death,  and  when  I  tried  to  talk  to  her  she  did  not 
understand.  Small  wonder — she  thought  I  was 
afraid  and  said,  '  Don't  fear,  I  am  the  mother  and 
you  are  the  little  child ;  I  put  my  arms  around  you 
so ' — with  this  I  was  embraced — '  and  that  is  the 
way  death  does.' 

"  I  make  no  comments ;  you  can  draw  your  own 
moral.   I  got  mine." 


XIV 

IMPORTANT  VISITORS 

Missionary  life  at  Doleib  Hill  was  relieved  of 
much  of  its  loneliness  by  the  frequent  visits  of  the 
officials  and  others  who  happened  to  come  our  way. 
It  was  not  only  a  pleasant  break  in  a  rather 
monotonous  life,  but  it  kept  us  in  touch  with  the 
outside  world  and  a  civilization  that  sometimes 
seemed  a  long  way  off.  We  congratulated  our- 
selves, too,  with  the  thought  that  the  pleasure  was 
mutually  shared,  that  our  little  compound  was  a 
bright  spot  in  the  midst  of  surrounding  darkness. 
Certainly  we  had  attempted  to  make  it  so,  and  were 
pleased  to  think  that  we  had  not  utterly  failed. 
No,  not  even  in  its  influence  over  the  mind  and 
heart  of  our  savage  neighbors. 

To  us,  the  visit  of  the  official  was  like  the  visit 
of  angels,  and,  something  like  angels'  visits,  were 
few  and  far  between.  There  is  a  great  deal  of 
cheer  in  a  cup  of  tea  under  such  circumstances,  and 
we  trust  that  many  an  officer  did  better  service 
because  he  had  been,  unawares  perhaps,  perform- 
ing the  part  of  an  angel. 

The  visit  which  I  wish  to  relate  and  which 
cheered  us  for  many  a  day,  was  something  out  of 

171 


172        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


the  ordinary.  These  were  no  ordinary  angels  who 
honored  us,  and  although  their  coming  threw  the 
whole  compound  into  an  unusual  flutter,  we  appre- 
ciated it.  That  fourteenth  day  of  January,  1903, 
was  a  red-letter  day  at  Doleib  Hill.  Matthews 
Bey,  Governor  of  Fashoda,  had  sent  a  note  say- 
ing :  "  The  Lord  Cromer  and  Sirdar  party  are  ex- 
pected in  Taufikiyah,  on  or  about  the  14th,"  and 
he  invited  us  down  for  the  reception.  He  hinted 
that  the  party  might  visit  the  Mission,  but  as  he 
was  evidently  rather  skeptical  on  this  point  we 
were  even  more  so. 

But  the  rest  of  the  story  I  will  allow  Mrs. 
Giffen's  diary  to  relate: 

"  Wednesday  eveningy  January  Hth,  1903. 
A' — h !  Imagine  that  '  Ah  '  to  be  a  sigh  of  relief, 
a  very  big  one  and  a  very  long  one,  for  they  came, 
they  saw,  and — they  went  away. 

"But  where  shall  I  begin  with  my  story?  As 
the  invitation  to  meet  Lord  Cromer  at  Taufikiyah 
was  for  the  14)th,  we  reasoned  this  way:  'All  of 
the  14th  will  be  taken  up  in  war-paint  and  war- 
dance  down  there.  Besides,  boats  are  always  a  little 
slow,  and  slower  getting  in  than  they  count  on. 
If  they  come  up  here,  it  will  not  be  before  the 
15th,  or  at  the  very  earliest  the  evening  of  the 
14th.  Cake  for  tea  will  be  better  fresh.  I  will 
bake  Wednesday  A.  M.,  and  we  will  also  put  our 


IMPORTANT  VISITORS  173 


houses  in  order,  company  order,  on  Wednesday 
morning. 

"When  we  got  up  this  morning  Mr.  GifFen, 
who  has  been  ill  in  bed  for  two  or  three  days, 
thought  he  would  try  to  ride  down  to  Taufikiyah. 
In  case  the  boat  had  not  yet  come  in  he  would 
return;  but  having  once  gone  down  he  could  not 
be  open  to  the  charge  of  failing  to  show  '  honor 
to  whom  honor  is  due.' 

"  Getting  ready  to  call  on  people  of  rank  is 
always,  I  think,  a  trial  to  Americans,  for  all  their 
*  all  men  free  and  equal '  declarations.  There  is 
an  added  trial  to  it,  when  your  manner  of  life  has 
been  such  that  your  best  suit  has  been  lying  for  a 
year  or  more  in  the  very  lowest  and  remotest 
corner  of  your  deepest  trunk,  and  when  starched 
collars  and  stiff  shirts  are  like  memories  of  a  long 
past  dream,  and  white  neckties  seem  the  ghosts 
of  youthful  vanity.  But  *  we  dragged  them  from 
the  recess  where  they  had  remained  so  long '  and 
after  much  shaking,  and  sponging,  and  pressing, 
and  looking,  and  talking,  we  got  them  into  shape 
and  their  owner  into  them,  and  they  looked  sur- 
prisingly well,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  they 
are  now  fully  two  sizes  too  large  for  him.  But 
he  promised  to  try  and  swell  out  his  chest  to  fill 
the  coat  when  '  facing  the  foe,'  and  if  by  any 
chance  the  foe  should  get  behind  him,  he  would 


174        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


catch  up  a  handful  of  cloth  in  front  to  make  it 
fit  in  the  back. 

"  In  the  meantime  the  Doctor's  donkey  was  sad- 
dled and  bridled  and  ready  to  go,  and  the  clothes 
on  the  man,  the  man  on  the  red  saddle,  the  saddle 
on  the  donkey,  the  donkey  on  the  public  highway 
— headed  for  Taufikiyah — and  a  Shulla  '  whip  ' 
behind  to  set  the  pace.  Then,  ho !  for  a  day  with 
the  nabobs. 

"  It  was  ten  minutes  to  nine  when  the  start  was 
made.  I  went  to  the  kitchen  to  arrange  dinner, 
etc.,  then  back  to  make  our  house  of  one  room  into 
a  reception  hall.  I  had  just  succeeded  in  putting 
everything  in  the  room  at '  sixes  and  sevens,'  when 
Mohammed  appeared  on  the  scene  with:  '  Ya  s'ltt! 
where  is  the  Kassis?  '  'Oh,  my  lady!  where  is 
the  Parson  '  '  He  is  gone,' I  replied.  '  There  is  a 
steamer  coming,  what  shall  we  do.^^ '  exclaimed 
Mohammed. 

"  One  moment  of  blank  consternation  on  my 
part,  then  a  not  very  good-natured  '  Where  is  the 
steamer? '  He  pointed  it  out.  It  was  directly  to 
the  west  of  us,  but  I  knew  it  had  to  make  a  run 
of  some  distance  directly  to  the  north,  then  to 
the  east  and  then  south  past  our  place.  There 
was  just  a  '  fighting  chance,'  and  then  I  felt  the 
spirit  of  '  win-or-die  '  rise  within  me.  My  orders 
were  quick,  sharp  and  decisive.    '  Have  you  a  boy 


IMPORTANT  VISITORS  175 


fleet  of  foot?  Call  him.  Tell  the  Doctor,  and  if 
he  thinks  best,  send  the  boy  after  Mr.  GifFen  and 
tell  him  to  RUN.'  I  waited  long  enough  to  see  a 
naked  black  body  with  flying  heels  start  north, 
then  I  began  my  race  with  the  steamboat. 

"  Mrs.  McLaughlin  had  not  been  able  for  much 
work  for  a  day  or  two,  but  she  had  had  her  sweep- 
ing done  and  her  carpets  cleaned.  The  M.  D. 
turned  housemaid  in  her  interest.  I  went  to  her 
only  long  enough  to  ask  if  her  tea-set  was  where 
we  could  get  at  it,  and  then  with  Abbas  at  my  heels 
I  went  back  to  my  room. 

"  Abbas  has  been  much  of  his  life  on  these 
boats,  so  I  asked  him  how  long  the  steamer  would 
take  to  get  here.  He  replied,  *  From  half  to  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour.'  My  thought  was  '  About  one 
chance  in  a  hundred,  but  that  chance  must  be 
fought  for.' 

"  To  make  my  story  short,  by  the  time  I  saw 
through  the  window  the  nose  of  the  old  steamer 
coming  around  the  bend  about  five  hundred  yards 
down  the  river,  the  room  was  in  good  shape,  swept 
clean,  carpets  cleaned  and  down,  beds  made,  every- 
thing dusted,  clean  toilet-covers,  and  other  little 
attempts  toward  brightening  the  general  effect. 
The  porch  also  was  swept,  mat  down,  easy  chairs 
with  pillows  in  place,  clean  cover  and  potted  plants 
on  the  table. 


176        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


"  Then  Abbas  was  sent  to  the  kitchen  with  orders 
to  sift  four  cups  of  flour,  with  four  teaspoons  of 
baking  powder,  put  on  the  table  bread-board, 
rolling  pin,  powdered  sugar,  eggs,  butter,  milk, 
make  a  fire  for  heating  the  oven,  fill  the  tea- 
kettle with  fresh  filtered  water  and  make  ready  the 
tea  tray,  then  wait  for  me. 

"  As  yet  I  had  not  seen  Mr.  GifFen  coming.  I 
had  no  time  to  look.  I  knew  I  must  get  into  a 
clean  gown  before  anyone  got  to  our  door.  For- 
tunately the  engineers  were  a  little  slow  coming  up 
to  our  landing,  for  which  I  can  say,  without  being 
the  least  undevout,  I  praised  the  Lord.  At 
this  point  in  walked  Mr.  Giffen,  a  bit  flushed, 
flurried  in  manner  and  blown  about  as  to  hair  and 
clothes.  His  greeting  was  *  How  much  do  you 
know?  '  '  Only  that  the  boat  is  coming,'  I  replied. 
'Yes,  it  is  at  the  landing.'  Then  for  the  first  I 
showed  '  the  white  feather,'  saying,  '  Oh!  I  cannot 
get  my  dress  changed.'  But  Mr.  GifFen  said  in 
the  calmest,  most  matter-of-fact  tone,  *  Yes,  you 
can.  It  takes  some  time  for  them  to  get  off,  and 
the  Doctor  says  they  are  to  go  to  their  house 
first,  they  are  all  ready  for  them.'  Then  off  he 
went  to  welcome  the  people  and,  as  I  understood 
quite  well,  to  detain  them  a  little,  if  need  be,  so 
I  could  get  dressed. 

"  By  the  time  I  saw  the  lords  and  ladies  shown 


IMPORTANT  VISITORS  177 


into  the  Doctor's  palace  I  was  clad  in  Damascus 
silk  from  top  to  toe,  with  a  pretty  Christmas  gift 
at  my  neck,  and  was  in  the  kitchen  mixing  up 
cookies.  I  rolled  out  and  baked  three  dozen  (one 
stove  full)  and  then  threw  a  cloth  over  the  re- 
mainder of  the  dough  to  stand  until  later.  I  then 
washed  my  hands,  took  off  my  big  gingham  apron 
and  went  over  to  see  the  ladies,  to  listen  and 
answer  questions  as  if  I  had  a  mind  at  ease,  while 
all  the  time  I  was  in  a  dreadful  stew  lest  Abbas 
should  upset  the  compound. 

"  The  ladies  wished  tea  rather  than  coffee,  for 
which  I  was  rather  glad.  They  praised  the 
'  buns  '  (  ?),  and  Lady  Wingate  said  she  wished  she 
knew  how  they  were  made,  because  the  cook  on 
the  boat  made  such  uneatable  things.  Of  course 
it  was  supposed  our  cook  made  them  and  I  offered 
no  explanation.  And  it  was  the  cook,  right 
enough. 

"  Well,  after  all  my  worry  and  my  fuss  over 
not  wanting  to  see  them,  I  have  to  acknowledge 
that  I  enjoyed  the  visit  very  much.  They  were 
all  most  kind.  They  were  interested  in  our  work 
and  praised  all  we  had  done  or  tried  to  do.  They 
admired  our  Hill  and  thought  our  houses  wonder- 
ful. They  were  interested  in  our  gardening  and 
took  away  samples  of  the  different  kinds  of  cotton 
grown.    Our  brick  were  the  nicest  they  had  seen 


178        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


in  the  Sudan.  They  were  so  glad  we  were  trying 
to  dig  a  well  and  wished  to  know  at  what  depth  we 
found  water  and  if  it  was  sweet  and  good,  and 
what  we  thought  of  the  people  and  the  climate. 
What  language  we  expected  to  teach  them,  and 
did  we  expect  to  make  the  work  permanent,  and 
scores  of  other  questions. 

"  When  Mr.  Giffen  said  to  Lord  Cromer,  that 
he  had  not  known  whether  they  would  be  able  to 
come  to  see  us,  he  replied,  '  Oh,  I  intended  from  the 
first  to  come  to  see  your  place.'  We  have  been 
honored  to-day,  entertaining  angels  unawares. 
God  bless  them! 

"  When  they  reached  the  steamer,  only  150  feet 
away.  Lady  Wingate  wrote  me  a  note  to  say  how 
pleased  they  were  with  our  work,  and  wishing  us 
all  good.  And  again  I  said,  '  God  bless  her ! ' 
And  they  left  us  saying,  '  We  hope  to  visit  you 
next  year,*  and  we  all  with  one  accord  said, 
'  Amen ! ' 

"  After  all  was  over  I  asked  Mr.  Giffen  how  and 
where  the  messenger  sent  caught  him.  He  said, 
'  He  did  not  catch  me  at  all.  When  I  was  about 
two-thirds  of  the  way  to  Taufikiyah  I  was  met  by 
a  soldier  who  gave  me  a  note  from  Captain 
Hawker,  informing  me  that  the  steamer  was  com- 
ing up  to  our  place,  and  it  was  after  I  turned  back 
that  I  met  the  boy.'    So  our  boy  did  not  do  much 


IMPORTANT  VISITORS  179 


good  except  as  an  extra  *  whip '  on  the  home 
journey. 

"It  must  have  been  a  regular  'John  Gilpin' 
race,  though  he  did  bring  home  his  hat.  But  the 
donkey  is  so  rough  and  Mr.  Giffen  says  he  came 
on  the  run  all  the  way  back,  so  I  am  sure  that  at 
every  whack  from  the  *  whip '  there  was  a  jump, 
and  at  every  jump  the  rider  very  politely  rose 
as  if  for  someone  else  to  be  seated.  It  was  equal 
to  the  ride  of  our  cousin  '  Tom '  on  his  old  gray 
mare :  Coat  tails  flying  and  sticks  a-whacking,  the 
old  gray  mare  galloping,  but  instead  of  witches 
he  had  two  naked  blacks  coming  on  behind. 

"  As  I  told  you,  he  was  very  much  blown  about 
when  he  reached  here,  and  from  his  own  report  I 
know  that  when  his  road  was  near  the  river  he  had 
an  uncomfortable  feeling  that  the  people  on  the 
boat  were  watching  the  race,  but  he  did  not  dare  to 
look  long  enough  to  see.  He  came  in  just  before 
the  boat  and  thus  scored  a  victory,  but  says  he 
was  so  interested  in  the  visit  that  he  forgot  to 
attend  to  the  fit  of  his  coat." 


XV 


THE  UNTAMED— BIRDS,  ANIMALS  AND 
CREEPING  THINGS 

Our  secretary  writing  from  Doleib  Hill  said,  "  I 
was  disappointed  in  not  finding  snakes  dangling 
from  the  rafters." 

Because  we  have  had  a  few  snake  stories  to  relate, 
some  of  our  friends  seem  to  think  snakes  are  crawl- 
ing everywhere.  I  do  not  think  that  Secretary 
Watson,  who  recently  visited  us,  was  really  disap- 
pointed, but  if  he  was,  he  may  be  thankful — snakes 
dangling  from  the  rafters  are  more  disappointing 
in  experience  than  no  snakes  at  all.  Indeed,  I 
think  most  of  us  would  be  willing  to  leave  the 
serpents  out  altogether,  but  snakes  have  an 
insinuating  way  of  getting  into  one's  life  at  unex- 
pected times  and  in  unexpected  ways. 

Of  poisonous  snakes  there  are  three  kinds, 
described  by  the  natives  thus :  "  If  one  of  a 
certain  kind  bites  you,  you  will  probably  die.  You 
may  get  well,  but  you  will  be  very  ill  and  most 
likely  will  die.  If  another  kind  bites  you,  you  will 
surely  die.  You  may  live  over  night,  but  you  will 
never  get  well.   If  you  are  bitten  by  the  third  kind, 

180 


BIRDS,  ANIMALS,  CREEPING  THINGS  181 


they  bury  you  right  where  you  stand."  By  this 
last,  of  course,  they  mean  that  death  follows 
instantly.  I  have  not  much  doubt  that  their 
description  is  true  to  their  own  experience. 
Without  remedies  used  at  once,  a  bite  from  any  of 
these  would  probably  be  fatal,  and  even  with  reme- 
dies the  chances  of  recovery  might  be  doubtful. 
Fortunately  for  us,  no  one  has  been  bitten,  al- 
though we  killed  many  in  and  around  our  houses. 
Of  the  harmless  whipsnakes  there  were  many, 
but  the  people  never  killed  these. 

There  is  another  kind  of  snake,  of  which,  or 
the  like  of  which  we  had  never  heard,  and  for  the 
lack  of  a  better  name  we  called  it  the  "  syringe," 
because  it  threw  a  venomous  spray  from  a  tube- 
like tongue,  instead  of  poisoning  through  fangs. 
Our  first  experience  with  this  reptile  was  rather 
alarming.    Mrs.  GifFen  has  described  it  as  follows: 

"  But  to  the  cooking  of  our  crane  hangs  a  tale, 
the  very  thought  of  which  makes  me  feel  sick. 
The  bird  was  large,  and  I  needed  a  platter  on 
which  to  serve  it. 

"  Now,  our  cupboard  room  is  somewhat  scarce, 
and  such  dishes  as  are  not  in  constant  use  are 
packed  away  in  a  box  in  our  pantry,  said  pantry 
being  one  end  of  our  kitchen.  We  had  arranged 
our  two  cupboards  to  form  the  partition  between 
the  kitchen  and  pantry,  leaving  rather  a  wide  door- 


182        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


way  in  the  center.  Just  inside  of  this  doorway, 
at  the  back  of  one  of  the  cupboards,  was  the  box 
containing  the  dishes,  among  them  the  large  meat 
platter.  Because  of  white  ants  the  boxes  must  be 
raised  off  the  floor;  for  this  purpose  we  use  empty 
fruit  cans.  The  dish  box,  like  all  others,  was 
placed  on  tin  cans. 

"  The  box  was  small,  not  more  than  two  feet 
long  and  one  and  a  half  feet  wide,  and  in  it,  at  one 
end,  was  a  pile  of  soup  plates  and  dinner  plates. 
At  the  other  end  were  some  tea  and  dessert  plates 
and  some  saucers.  Altogether  they  did  not  fill 
half  the  space.  Over  this  empty  space  was  the 
meat  platter  turned  upside  down,  thus  covering 
the  empty  space  over  the  tea  plates  like  a  lid. 
On  top  of  this  was  a  box  of  onions. 

"  When  dinner  was  ready  I  went  to  get  the 
platter  for  my  bird.  I  was  in  very  good  humor. 
Dinner  and  everything  and  everybody  had  been 
behaving  well,  and  I  was  singing — in  spirit  at 
least — the  Irishman's  opinion  of  his  country, 
'  Whiles  niver  once  a  snake  y'll  find,  Saint  Patrick's 
name  be  praised ! '  I  lifted  the  box  with  the 
onions  in  my  left  hand,  bracing  the  other  side  of  it 
against  my  knee,  and  with  my  right  hand  lifted 
the  meat  plate. 

"  As  the  plate  was  bottom  side  up,  I  had  to  slip 
my  fingers  well  under  to  raise  it ;  as  I  lifted  it  out 


BIRDS,  ANIMALS,  CREEPING  THINGS  183 


of  the  box  I  don't  know  whether  it  was  motion  or 
sound  that  attracted  my  attention — there  being  no 
window  in  that  end  of  the  room  it  was  rather 
dark — but  something  made  me  peer  into  the  empty 
space  which  the  meat  plate  had  covered,  to  find  it 
not  empty,  but  full  of  snake,  and  an  ugly  big  head 
rising  up  at  me. 

"  I  shrieked,  '  Kelly ! '  but  he  did  not  hear  me. 
Then,  '  Abbas,  come  quick,  a  snake ! '  Abbas  was 
in  the  kitchen  and  came  on  a  run,  picking  up  an 
ax  on  the  way.  Abbas  is  wiser  than  the  rest  of 
us  concerning  snakes.  As  soon  as  he  saw  what 
he  had  to  deal  with,  he  caught  the  head  of  the 
creature  between  the  ax  and  the  pile  of  plates ; 
that  is,  he  meant  to  catch  the  head,  but  in  reality 
caught  it  about  six  or  eight  inches  back  of  the 
head.  Having  it  thus  he  could  not  kill  it,  but 
could  hold  it. 

"  When  I  started  back — for  I  had  put  some 
yards  between  me  and  the  snake — Abbas  said, 
'  Keep  away  and  call  some  of  the  men.'  Just  then 
Dr.  McLaughlin,  who  had  heard  my  excited  tones, 
called  across,  'What's  up,  Mrs.  Giffen?'  I 
answered,  '  A  snake — come  quick ! '  The  Doctor 
came,  smiling;  knowing  my  terror  of  snakes,  he 
did  not  expect  to  see  much,  although  I  was  telling 
him,  *  It  is  a  big  one.'  Abbas  said,  *  Bring  a  club,' 
but  the  Doctor,  after  getting  a  glimpse,  wanted 


184        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


to  see  more  of  it.  Abbas  said,  '  Take  care  of  your 
face!  It  will  spit!'  But  the  Doctor  either  did 
not  hear  or  did  not  comprehend.  The  next  thing 
I  saw  was  the  M.  D.  covering  his  eyes  with  his 
hands  and  heard  him  say,  '  Give  me  your  apron, 
quick !  *  I  did  so,  and  he  wiped  his  face,  then  said, 
'  Give  me  water,  quick ! '  Leaving  Abbas  and  the 
snake  to  manage  their  own  affairs,  I  began  to  help 
the  Doctor.  In  a  few  minutes  Mrs.  McLaughlin 
came  and  I  went  back  to  Abbas. 

"  There  were  a  number  of  the  Shullas  about.  I 
would  grab  one  that  had  his  club  and  spear  in  his 
hand  and  drag  him  in  to  kill  the  snake.  As  soon 
as  he  would  see  it  he  would  say,  '  Booh ! '  and  out 
he  would  go  without  giving  any  help. 

"  By  this  time,  which  was  not  anything  like  as 
long  as  it  has  taken  me  to  write  it,  Mr.  Giffen  heard 
the  noise  and  came  to  the  rescue  and  killed  the 
snake.  I  see  in  glancing  back  over  what  I  have 
written  that  I  have  not  told  you  what  had  hap- 
pened to  the  Doctor.  The  snake  had  not  bitten 
him,  but  had  thrown  venom  into  his  eyes.  His  face 
at  the  time  was  about  two  yards  from  the  snake, 
but  it  struck  him  fairly  in  the  eyes, — the  Doctor 
says,  *  with  the  force  of  a  good  strong  syringe.' 
The  natives  said,  '  The  Doctor's  eyes  are  finished. 
He  will  never  see  again ! '  And  I  have  little  doubt 
that  with  one  of  them  it  would  have  been  so.  But 


BIRDS,  ANIMALS,  CREEPING  THINGS  185 


we  did  everything  we  could,  and  that  at  once.  The 
eyes  were  bathed  and  anointed  with  sweet  cream. 
This  gave  but  Httle  rehef,  but  a  strong  solution 
of  soda  brought  relief.  The  eyes  were  very  red 
and  sore  for  a  time  and  the  sight  blurred  and  dim, 
but  not  permanently  injured. 

"  The  snake  killed  and  carried  out,  and  the 
Doctor's  eyes  made  as  comfortable  as  possible,  we 
turned  our  attention  to  dinner  again.  The  scones 
had  been  forgotten  in  the  oven  and  had  burned, 
everything  else  had  gone  cold,  but  we  sat  down 
and  said  never  a  word  about  a  poor  dinner.  We 
were  all  too  anxious  about  the  Doctor's  eyes  to 
have  much  appetite. 

"  After  dinner  was  over  Mr.  GifFen  examined 
the  reptile.  It  was  five  feet  long  and  eight  inches 
in  circumference  in  the  thickest  place,  and  tapered 
but  little.  He  could  find  no  fangs  at  all,  but  where 
the  point  of  the  tongue  should  have  been  there 
was  a  small  tube-like  arrangement,  about  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  as  thick  as  an 
ordinary  lead  pencil.  At  the  end  of  this  was  an 
opening.  From  this,  no  doubt,  it  throws  the 
venom.  While  killing  it,  Mr.  Giffen  saw  it  throw 
the  venom.  To  do  this  it  swelled  out  its  neck  until 
it  was  as  broad  as  his  hand. 

"  After  this  the  snake  was  thrown  away,  and 
I  gathered  up  the  fragments  of  the  broken  dishes. 


186        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


Outwardly  the  world  looked  as  usual,  but  for 
several  days  every  bit  of  stick,  string,  or  rope 
I  saw  was  magnified  into  a  snake." 

There  were  other  experiences,  lots  of  them,  too, 
but  perhaps  not  all  quite  so  exciting  as  this  one. 

An  experience  with  a  snake  is  exciting  enough, 
even  though  he  crawls  off  and  leaves  one  alone. 
While  digging  up  earth  for  brick,  we  came  upon 
a  nest  of  viper's  eggs.  They  were  about  five  feet 
below  the  surface.  The  eggs  were  in  shape,  size, 
and  color  like  small  hen's  eggs.  The  eggs  were 
crushed,  as  this  seemed  to  us  the  most  excellent 
method  of  destroying  reptiles. 

Of  lizards,  there  was  a  fine  assortment.  They 
were  green,  blue,  brown,  black,  mottled,  and 
striped;  short  tailed  and  long  tailed;  smooth 
skin  and  warty.  Indeed,  the  lizards  were  always 
and  everywhere  present,  crawling  over  the  walls, 
the  rafters  and  the  floor;  they  helped  to  destroy 
flies  and  other  insects. 

Bats  we  had  in  abundance,  and  just  as  loath- 
some and  disgusting  as  bats  always  are.  Our 
crickets  were  the  loudest  singers  ever  heard.  They 
were  very  numerous  and  mischievous.  On  one 
occasion  they  destroyed  a  lot  of  cabbage  in  one 
night.  Our  Katy-did — or  what  seemed  to  us  most 
like  '  Katy,'— said,  "  Katy-did-sh-sh-she-did !  "  but 
this  stammer  only  proves  them  true  Shullas. 


BIRDS,  ANIMALS,  CREEPING  THINGS  187 


The  frogs  are  numerous  and  a  noisy  lot  at  any 
time,  day  or  night,  but  especially  at  night.  There 
are  little  ones  that  sing,  "  Knee-deep — ^knee-deep," 
and  the  big  ones  that  sing  bass  as  frogs  should. 
Then  there  is  a  peculiarly  clanking  sound  like 
the  distant  striking  of  an  anvil  with  a  hammer,  a 
mile  or  two  away.  Anytime,  day  or  night,  that 
you  stop  to  listen,  the  hum  and  buzz  of  thousands 
of  unseen  insects  can  be  heard. 

In  daylight  the  air  seems  bright  with  butter- 
flies; little  ones  and  big  ones,  yellow,  blue,  white, 
black,  spotted,  and  with  all  colors  and  sheens 
imaginable  combined.  At  times  the  air  is  fuU  of 
dragon  flies,  and  these  too,  of  various  colors  and 
most  delicate  wings.  Even  the  moths  that  gather 
around  the  candle  at  night  are  of  brilliant  color- 
ing; not  that  we  do  not  have  the  common  miller 
with  his  dusty  coat  as  well. 

There  are  many  birds,  too,  but  not  many  song- 
sters, although  some  do  sing.  The  prettiest  of 
them  all  is  a  small  blue  bird,  little  larger  than  a 
humming  bird.  Its  body  is  a  soft,  pale  blue,  like 
the  softest  and  finest  of  velvet,  and  its  head,  wings 
and  tail  a  pretty  Quaker  gray.  They  are  tame, 
and  usually  go  about  in  pairs  and  will  come  up  to 
the  very  door  for  crumbs.  They  have  a  cheery, 
chatty,  little  chirp,  but,  I  think,  never  sing.  There 
is  also  a  yellow  bird,  with  greeny-brown  feathers, 


188        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


giving  them  the  appearance  of  a  dark-colored 
canary.  We  were  not  able  to  decide  whether  they 
sing  or  not. 

The  sauciest  and  the  most  amusing  is  the  star- 
ling. If  out  walking,  they  follow  after  you 
scolding  all  the  time.  They  come  about  the  door ; 
flocks  of  them  are  to  be  seen  everywhere.  They 
are  great  friends  of  sheep  and  cattle.  If  a  flock 
is  passing,  almost  every  animal  will  have  one  or 
two  and  as  many  as  three  of  these  birds  mounted 
on  its  back  picking  diligently  at  the  ticks,  flies, 
and  bugs  that  annoy  the  sheep  greatly.  The 
flocks  seem  to  enjoy  having  their  backs  scratched, 
and  recognize  the  "  blackies "  as  their  friends. 
They  are  glossy  and  black  as  jet;  the  female  is 
wholly  black,  but  the  male  has  a  bright  scarlet 
bill.  Although  only  a  little  larger  than  our 
American  blackbird,  owls,  hawks,  and  crows  all 
have  a  wholesome  respect  for  them.  It  is  amus- 
ing to  see  a  great,  blind  owl  clinging  to  the  doleib 
branches  and  five  or  six  of  the  "  blackies  "  giving 
him  a  well  deserved  thrashing  for  nest-robbi^g. 
The  hawks  and  the  crows  have  to  be  dealt  with  on 
the  wing ;  they  will  not  sit  still  to  be  whipped. 

The  Sudan  crows  are  of  two  or  three  kinds. 
One  is  "  black  as  crows  should  be."  Another  has 
black  head  and  wings,  and  white  around  the  neck 
and  body.    Another  is  smaller,  and  jet  black,  with 


BIRDS,  ANIMALS,  CREEPING  THINGS  189 


a  neat  little  tuft  of  feathers  on  its  head.  All 
speak  the  crow  language. 

Of  the  larger  birds  there  is  no  end.  The 
guinea-fowl  come  about  in  great  flocks  and  roost 
in  the  trees  by  the  house,  and  with  the  ducks  and 
geese,  they  are  occasionally  brought  in  to  supply 
meat  for  the  table.  Beside  these,  there  are  stork, 
crane,  pelican,  flamingo,  fish-hawks,  heron,  and 
many  others;  we  never  tire  watching  them.  Dr. 
McLaughlin  shot  a  stork  that  measured  9  feet 
from  tip  to  tip  of  wing;  it  was  4s  feet  high,  and 
its  bill  was  16  inches  long. 

Birds  and  butterflies  are  not  the  only  wild 
creatures.  There  are  others  less  desirable  to  have 
around.  While  sleeping  under  the  trees  before 
our  houses  were  made  ready  we  several  times 
thought  we  heard  a  cat  at  night ;  but  were  told 
that  there  were  no  cats  about.  One  morning,  how- 
ever, we  found  a  little  wildcat  kitten  beside  the 
bed.  It  had  fallen  from  the  doleib  tree  not  ten 
feet  away,  where,  hidden  in  the  branches,  the 
mother  had  a  nest.  This  kitten  had  fallen  out  and 
was  killed. 

The  wildcats  and  the  hyenas  were  the  only 
wild  animals  that  gave  us  any  trouble ;  these  fre- 
quently helping  themselves  to  our  chickens  and 
milk.  We  were  told  that  there  were  leopards  on 
the  hill,  and  that  a  year  before  one  had  attacked  a 


190        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


man,  tearing  his  head  and  face  badly.  They  had 
succeeded  in  killing  the  beast  "  but  his  widow  still 
lived  around  in  the  fields." 

T'he  people  were  surprised  that  our  cattle  and 
sheep,  unprotected,  were  never  molested,  while 
theirs,  watched  over,  night  and  day,  were  often 
attacked,  and  they  wanted  an  explanation.  Our 
interpreter — Mohammed — told  them  that  it  was 
because  "  our  God  protected  us."  This  not  only 
seemed  to  satisfy,  but  greatly  impressed  them. 

The  beautiful  gazelle  came  down  to  drink  at 
the  river  and  were  often  seen,  but  the  ShuUas 
hunted  and  frightened  them  away  with  their  dogs. 

Plenty  other  and  larger  game  existed,  but  was 
a  little  more  shy  of  human  abode,  and  did  not  come 
near.  Across  the  river,  where  the  grass  was  less 
used  for  pasture,  and  hiding  more  easy,  hunting 
was  worth  while  and  good  sport  to  the  sportsman. 
There  were  antelope,  gemsbok,  waterbok,  wart- 
hogs,  buffalo,  even  lions  and  elephants.  The  latter 
seldom  came  down  to  the  river,  only  when  the  in- 
land pools  were  dried  up  and  they  were  pressed 
for  drink,  but  lions  remained  all  the  year  in  the 
swamp  near  the  junction  of  the  two  rivers.  We 
generally  confined  our  sport,  however,  to  the 
smaller  game. 

There  is  a  beauty  in  these  wild  creatures  that 
roam  over  the  uncultivated  plains  that  the  same 


BIRDS,  ANIMALS,  CREEPING  THINGS  191 


beasts,  tamed  or  caged  for  man  to  look  at,  do  not 
possess.  The  elephant  chained  by  the  foot  looks 
like  a  criminal,  while  the  monster  in  his  native 
clime,  half  buried  in  tall  waving  grass,  is  a  king. 
The  wide,  grassy  plain  belongs  to  him  and  he  be- 
longs to  the  plain.  The  same  is  true  of  all  the 
others.  Many  of  them  are  harmless  creatures,  as 
are  all  the  gazelle  and  antelope  tribe.  To  shoot 
them  when  not  required  for  food  seems  little  short 
of  murder. 

Ordinances  for  the  preservation  of  wild  animals 
and  birds  in  the  Sudan  have  been  promulgated. 
This  will  appeal  to  any  wise  and  humane  person, 
as  having  a  civilizing  influence,  where  the  whole 
creation  groaneth,  waiting  to  be  delivered."  The 
Sudan  is  a  rich  field  for  the  naturalist;  there  are 
many  species  of  the  animal  kingdom  of  which  but 
little  is  known.  These  are  all  God's  creatures, 
and  the  harmless  ones,  at  least,  have  been  placed 
here  for  some  other  purpose  than  to  be  shot  at. 
As  civilization  advances,  as  it  will  inevitably,  the 
wild  animals  as  they  now  exist  will  disappear;  but 
in  the  meantime  it  becomes  every  sportsman, 
whether  visitor,  official,  or  resident,  to  observe 
carefully  the  laws  for  the  preservation  of  these 
beautiful  wild  animals. 


XVI 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  THE  SOBAT  RIVER 

I  WISH  it  were  possible  to  describe  Doleib  Hill, 
the  river  and  the  surrounding  country,  so  that 
every  reader  might  realize  what  it  really  is.  I 
cannot  hope  to  do  this  with  entire  satisfaction,  but 
with  the  help  of  Mrs.  GifFen's  diary,  and  the 
reader's  imagination,  a  fairly  clear  and  accurate 
picture  may  be  drawn. 

The  estimate  of  beauty  of  our  site  and  of  the 
river,  as  of  all  places  and  rivers,  depends  very 
largely  upon  the  individual.  When  we  first 
landed  and  began  to  make  of  Doleib  Hill  a  home, 
to  some  of  our  party  at  least  it  was  very  much  like 
"  a  root  out  of  dry  ground,"  and  there  was  "  no 
beauty  in  it."  Little  by  little,  however,  as  we 
began  to  bring  to  it  the  comforts  of  home  life, 
and  associate  with  it  the  ideas  of  home,  the  whole 
situation  became  changed  and  transformed.  No 
doubt  the  very  trials  and  hardships  helped  to  pro- 
duce a  radical  change  in  our  attitude  toward  the 
place. 

The  hill  or  knoll,  or  rather  that  side  of  it  which 
faces  the  river,  is  covered  with  a  grove  of  beauti- 

192 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  193 


ful  palms.  These  palms,  very  tall  and  topped 
with  a  foliage  of  huge,  round  leaves,  beautify  our 
grounds,  afford  shelter  from  the  sun,  and  mark 
the  situation  from  afar.  To  the  back  of  the  hill 
is  a  grass  covered  plain  stretching  many  miles 
toward  the  east.  In  front  is  the  beautiful  river, 
and  beyond  that  another  plain.  Villages  of  the 
native  people  are  about  twenty  minutes'  walk  to 
the  north  and  south  of  us,  for  in  the  Sudan  we 
measure  distance  by  the  clock.  There  are  no  great 
forests  or  magnificent  mountains  to  lend  variety 
to  the  scenery.  I  presume  most  people  would 
think  life  at  Doleib  Hill  monotonous — the  cloud 
and  sky;  rain  and  sunshine;  stormy  winds  and 
balmy  breezes ;  great  grass-covered  plains  and 
herds  of  cattle,  and  black,  naked  people.  Yes, 
there  is  certainly  some  monotony  in  our  surround- 
ings, but,  after  all,  is  that  not  true  everywhere? 
The  noise  and  bustle  of  city  life  soon  becomes 
monotonous  to  me,  and  even  travel  soon  loses 
much  of  its  charm,  unless  there  is  purpose  in  it  all. 
Life  at  Doleib  Hill  was  to  us  tolerable  because  of 
our  purpose  there,  and  the  beauty  of  our  place  and 
the  comforts  of  life  were  in  proportion  to  the 
philosophy  we  brought  to  bear  upon  our  exist- 
ence, and  because  of  the  fact  that  it  was  home,  and 
that  duty  kept  us,  and  peace  and  love  shared  our 
rude  dwelling. 


194        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


Just  how  we  looked  upon  our  life  may  be  il- 
lustrated in  some  notes  from  the  oft-quoted  diary. 

"  Do  you  get  tired  of  our  writing  about  Doleib 
Hill?    Just  come  yourself  and  see  how  nice  it  is. 

When  I  was  at  home  in  '91,  Miss    said 

to  me :  *  You  tell  the  wrong  things ;  <3on't  tell 
about  your  good  times,  tell  of  your  hardships,  you 
will  get  more  sympathy.'  Now,  even  at  the  risk 
of  making  the  mistake  again,  I  must  say  that  I 
will  never  again  feel  the  same  heartaching  com- 
passion for  missionaries  in  a  new  field  that  I  have 
felt  in  the  past.  Are  there  trials  Yes.  And 
some  hardships?  Yes.  Some  self-sacrifice?  Yes. 
And  some  lonesomeness?  Yes.  But  as  I  place 
side  by  side  the  trials  of  the  past  year,  and  the 
work  and  worry  and  heartache  of  the  first  few 
years  of  our  missionary  life  in  Egypt,  I  say,  with- 
out the  least  hesitation,  '  Here  is  comparative 
rest.'  There  now!  If  I  have  said  the  wrong 
thing,  forget  it. 

"  During  the  twenty  years  of  our  missionary  life 
in  Egypt  we,  like  all  the  rest  in  Egypt,  worked 
hard  and  tried  to  do  our  duty,  and  in  addition  to 
the  burden  of  work  we  carried  a  load  of  worry  and 
anxiety  that  was  more  trying  than  the  work  itself. 
This  worry  we  do  not  have  here  yet.  To  be  sure, 
we  are  often  perplexed,  and  very  often  are  in 
doubt  as  to  what  should  be  done  and  what  left  un- 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  195 


done ;  but  when  night  comes  we  go  to  bed  to  sleep 
and  not  to  lie  with  eyes  wide  open  staring  into  the 
darkness,  and  with  brain  throbbing,  trying  to 
work  out  some  problem  of  method,  or  scheming  for 
the  accomplishment  of  some  work  or  staring  at 
some  great  catastrophe  that  has  befallen  the 
work. 

"  I  should  say  perhaps,  for  the  protection  of 
someone  of  a  different  temperament — someone 
who  might  be  Sent  here — that  I  do  not  suffer 
so  much  from  loneliness  as  some  do.  I  miss  my 
children  and  friends  more  than  I  can  tell;  but  the 
fact  that  there  are  no  people  of  our  own  kin  here, 
no  society, — the  quietness  of  the  place, — does  not 
trouble  me  in  the  least.  I  like  a  pretty  home,  but 
it  is  some  amusement  to  try  to  make  this  one  pretty. 
Someone  has  remarked  that  Mrs.  McLaughlin 
and  I  can  lay  claim  to  being  the  best  dressed 
women  within  500  miles  in  every  direction.  In 
like  manner  we  can  claim  to  have  the  homiest  homes 
within  the  same  distance;  and  but  few  of  you  can 
lay  claim  to  so  great  distinction." 

Here  is  just  one  little  instance  which  is  a  side- 
light on  everyday  life  at  Doleib  Hill: 

"  Other  than  the  killing  of  the  crocodile,  we 
had  two  bits  of  excitement  yesterday.  One  was  a 
fight  between  our  man  Mohammed  and  a  man  from 
one  of  the  villages,  over  the  price  of  a  bundle  of 


196        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


corn-stalks  that  was  to  be  used  in  our  new  fence. 
The  other  was  a  lost  child. 

"A  man  from  a  village  south  of  us  came  last 
night,  after  dark,  searching  for  the  boy.  He 
said  he  was  talli  (absent  or  lost)  and  that  he  had 
been  at  our  place  during  the  day.  I  was  anxious 
lest  someone  should  start  the  report  that  we  had 
taken  the  child.  The  people  are  allowing  the 
small  boys  and  girls  to  come  around  us  so  much 
more  than  they  would  at  first,  and  we  are  pleased 
because  of  this  confidence,  and  hope  nothing  will 
occur  to  lessen  it. 

"  The  fight  between  Mohammed  and  the  man 
was  '  nipped  in  the  bud '  by  Mr.  GifFen's  interfer- 
ence. The  first  I  knew  of  it,  I  saw  Abbas  running 
out  in  great  excitement — ^boy-like,  he  dearly  loves 
to  see  a  fight — then  I  heard  loud  talk,  and  got  to 
the  window  in  time  to  see  Mr.  GifFen  take  the  villa- 
ger by  the  shoulder  and  start  him  down  the  hill  at 
a  quicker  step  than  these  people  usually  attain  to, 
and  heard  him  tell  Mohammed  to  keep  quiet,  in  a 
tone  that  showed  he  meant  it.  I  supposed  that 
was  the  end  of  the  affair;  but  the  man  came  around 
our  house  and  got  in  from  the  other  side  to  have 
his  fight  out  with  Mohammed.  Mr.  Giffen  went 
after  him  again  and  sent  him  off  home.  I  am  sure 
none  of  the  people  would  intentionally  hurt  either 
Mr.  Giffen  or  the  Doctor,  but  when  they  are  angry. 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  197 


and  spears  are  flashing,  and  clubs  are  swinging 
as  they  dance  around,  and  our  men  run  in  among 
them,  I  always  feel  like  shutting  my  eyes  and  ex- 
claiming :   '  Lord,  protect  them ! ' 

"  This  man  as  he  went  by  our  house  the  second 
time  on  his  way  home  was  very  amusing.  He  was 
talking  at  the  top  of  his  voice  and  flourishing  his 
spear.  Mr.  Giff*en  kept  close  up  to  him  and  would 
aid  him  occasionally  with  a  vigorous  shove.  The 
man  would  walk  about  two  yards  and  then  sit  flat 
on  the  ground  and  strike  the  earth  with  the  sharp 
end  of  his  club,  sinking  it  four  or  five  inches  into 
the  ground.  At  command  to  move  on,  he  would 
go  a  few  feet  farther  and  again  throw  himself  on 
the  ground.  He  was  mad!  I  could  not  under- 
stand what  he  was  saying,  but  it  sounded  profane. 
They  are  such  children  in  everything." 

Another  phase  of  daily  life  is  set  forth  in  the 
following  note: 

"  Now  that  our  storms  are  over,  it  seemed  wise 
to  have  the  outside  of  our  house  treated  to  a  coat 
of  mud.  This  would  correspond  to  a  coat  of  paint 
or  whitewash.  The  women  apply  this  with  their 
hands.  The  rain  had  washed  little  gullies  in  the 
walls  and  they  looked  very  much  pockmarked. 

"  When  this  was  done,  'twas  the  old  story  of  the 
new  parlor  carpet,  L  e,,  the  box-room  must  needs 
be  done  to  correspond.    Then  the  inside  of  the 


198        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


storeroom  was  in  bad  shape,  for  white  ants  had 
built  their  covered  roadways  all  over  its  walls, 
and  an  old  hen  with  her  little  chickens  had  been  im- 
prisoned for  a  time,  and  had  been  most  industrious 
scratching  up  the  floor.  So  it  seemed  really 
necessary  to  do  that  room.  Then  the  mud  floor  of 
the  porch  looked  so  shabby  beside  the  smooth  walls 
of  the  house  and  the  storeroom  that  it  was  treated 
to  mud  plaster  too.  This  being  done,  there  only 
remained  of  all  the  house  the  walls  of  our  bed- 
room and  they  really  needed  smoothing,  so  we 
turned  out  all  our  belongings  and  handed  the  place 
over  to  the  old  woman  and  her  mud-bucket.  It  is 
not  whitewash,  but  blackwash.  It  is  not  put  on 
with  a  brush,  but  with  the  hands;  but  so  far  as 
splashing  the  surroundings,  only  an  Egyptian 
whitewasher  can  excel  them.  Painting  with  mud 
does  not  sweeten  things  up  like  a  lime  wash,  but 
it  is  no  small  satisfaction  to  have  the  walls  made 
smooth  and  of  one  color,  which  they  were  not 
before. 

"  Mr.  Giff^en  and  I  were  talking  of  our  leaving 
here  for  our  furlough,  and  I,  at  least,  was  sur- 
prised at  the  heartache  which  came  with  the 
thought  that  we  must  leave.  The  black  walls  of 
our  house  mean  home  to  us  now;  and  the  black 
faces  of  the  people  are  the  faces  of  friends  ;  and  we 
feel  that  we  have  been  able  to  do  so  little  of  the 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  199 


great  work  that  needs  to  be  done  for  them.  It  is 
not  that  we  have  been  careless  or  negligent,  but  as 
you  know  work  always  seems  slow  at  the  beginning. 
Ah,  well.  If  we  are  to  come  back  here  we  will  be 
able  to  do  more.  If  not,  then  someone  else  will 
do  it,  better  perhaps  than  we." 

As  has  been  hinted  we  were  not  always  jolly, 
and  yet  we  are  not  long  sad.  Sickness  came  to 
us  among  other  trials,  and  there  were  weary  days 
of  waiting  and  watching,  not  knowing  what  the 
issue  would  be.  On  the  whole  we  were  happy  and 
always  very  busy. 

As  a  further  illustration  of  our  life  at  Doleib 
Hill,  Mrs.  Giffen  wrote  while  recovering  from  a 
terrible  fever: 

"  It  has  been  so  pleasant,  that  sometimes  while 
here  in  bed  I  could  close  my  eyes  and  imagine  my- 
self at  our  Mission  Summer  Station  at  Ramleh  on 
the  Mediterranean.  The  wind  in  these  funny  old 
doleibs  makes  a  noise  that  one  can  easily  imagine 
to  be  the  waves  on  the  seashore.  At  first  the  wind 
in  the  new  green  branches  sounds  Hke  the  waves 
when  they  cross  the  first  breakers  far  out.  Then 
the  lower  branches  catch  the  wind,  making  a  deeper 
note,  which  is  the  wave  drawing  nearer  the  shore. 
And  at  last,  the  dry,  dead  branches  swing  out  with 
a  hissing,  boiling  sound,  then  swing  in  again 
against  the  trunk  of  the  tree  with  a  thud  which 


SOO        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


completes  the  breaking  of  the  waves  on  the  shore. 
The  gust  of  wind,  passing  on,  leaves  behind  it  a 
'  sighing  and  a-sobbing '  not  at  all  unlike  the  re- 
ceding of  the  water. 

"  One  nice  thing  about  our  place  here,  too,  is 
that  we  can  see  for  miles  in  every  direction.  Of 
course  there  are  drawbacks.  This  dreadful 
malaria,  the  long  distance  from  friends  and  white 
men  of  any  sort,  friends  or  foes;  and  our  post 
comes  only  once  in  two  weeks.  We  count  among 
our  blessings  the  passing  of  a  steamer  even 
though  it  does  not  stop.  It  seems  to  keep  us  in 
touch  with  the  outside  world. 

"Behold!  just  then  from  under  my  bed  wiggled 
a  fine,  blue-black  snake.  I  was  sitting  so  close  to 
the  edge  of  the  bed  that  I  saw  it  with  one  corner 
of  my  eye.  What  did  I  do.'*  I  drew  myself  up 
into  as  small  space  as  possible  and  shouted.  Mr. 
Giffen  came  with  a  stick  and  the  Doctor  with  a 
garden-rake  and  the  snake  was  killed,  but  it  left 
my  hands  shaky.  We  cannot  think  where  it  came 
from.  They  all  laughed  at  me  when  I  said  it 
came  from  out  of  my  slippers,  but  they  were  the 
only  things  under  the  bed  for  it  to  hide  in.  I 
do  not  consider  snakes  among  our  appreciated 
blessings  nor  among  the  beauties  of  the  place. 

"  From  my  bed  I  can  watch  the  boys  who  tend 
the  cattle  and  sheep  across  the  river,  getting  them 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  201 


started  for  home  as  a  big  storm  is  threatening* 
While  the  sun  shines  and  the  weather  is  good,  they 
like  to  keep  their  charges  together  for  gossip's 
sake ;  but  when  a  big  storm  cloud  appears  it  is  in- 
teresting to  see  how  quickly  the  cattle  of  each 
village  are  mustered  out  by  themselves  and  started 
home  on  a  trot. 

"  There  came  a  report  to  us  that  at  a  village 
four  or  five  miles  up  the  river  lions  have  been  tak- 
ing the  sheep.  The  men  formed  for  a  hunt  and 
succeeded  in  killing  the  lioness,  but  the  lion,  after 
killing  a  man,  escaped.  Yes,  it  makes  me  feel  a 
little  as  if  I  would  like  a  good,  strong  door  on  the 
house  and  some  windows.  But  we  tell  ourselves — ■ 
or  rather  the  men  folk  tell  us — '  there  is  no  danger 
here;  that  was  across  the  river,  there  is  no  timber 
on  this  side  for  the  wild  beasts  to  hide  in.' 

"  I  have  wondered — when  I  would  think  about 
it — at  the  cool  way  in  which  we  go  to  bed  here 
night  after  night,  with  no  means  of  protection 
whatever,  when  we  know  the  Shulla  will  not  part 
with  his  spear  night  or  day. 

"  Our  house  and  the  McLaughlin  house  are  about 
100  feet  apart ;  the  other  buildings  are  at  a  greater 
distance.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  McLaughlin  sleep  in  their 
house,  we  in  ours.  Abbas  in  our  kitchen,  and  Mo- 
hammed in  our  storeroom.  Abbas  has  no  door  to 
his  building;  the  storeroom  has  a  wooden  door; 


THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


our  room  has  a  screen  door  with  no  fastening,  and 
the  Doctor's  house  has  mats  for  doors.  We  have 
no  watchman  of  any  sort.  All  go  to  bed,  and 
even  Jok,  the  dog,  tries  to  find  a  place  where  the 
mosquitoes  will  not  devour  him,  and  he  too  goes  to 
sleep.  There  are  two  guns,  one  in  each  house ;  one 
is  useless,  but  the  other  is  deadly  enough  when  it 
hits.  And  so  we  sleep.  For  myself  I  may  say 
when  I  hear  some  unusual  sound  at  night  it 
startles  me  a  bit.  I  listen  to  hear  it  again  to 
determine  what  it  is.  If  I  can,  it  is  all  right ;  if  I 
cannot,  I  reach  over  and  touch  Mr.  GilFen, — who 
is  usually  sleeping  peacefully — and  I  call  to  mind 
the  saying,  '  If  I  am  born  to  be  hanged  I  will 
never  be  drowned,'  or  to  put  it  more  devoutly,  *  that 
we  are  in  God's  care,  and  that  wild  beasts  and 
vipers  are  under  His  control, — then  I  turn  over 
and  go  to  sleep  as  easily  as  I  could  in  Tanta, 
Egypt.'    .    .  . 

"  November  18,  — .  The  rains  are  certainly 
over  now,  though  at  times  still,  there  are  clouds. 
The  grass  is  all  turning  yellow  and  dry.  But 
the  Sobat  is  still  rising,  an  indication  that  the 
rains  are  not  yet  over  in  the  hills  of  Abyssinia. 
It  is  said  we  have  a  very  big  river.  Every  day 
has  its  beauties  and  the  river  is  full  of  interest. 
There  is  so  much  float  going  down;  sometimes 
pieces  large  enough  for  us  to  call  them  islands,  and 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  203 


on  the  float  are  birds  and  frogs  in  abundance. 
There  is  no  lack  of  music  if  one  stands  on  the  river 
bank  at  sunset,  and  listens  to  the  frogs  as  the  float 
drifts  by.  It  is  a  case  of  '  the  big  drum,  the  little 
drum,  pianoforte  and  piccolo ;  the  bass  drum,  the 
tenor  drum,  the  fiddle  and  the  fife.'  When 
there  is  a  lull  in  the  music,  some  big  fellow  calls 
out  a  good-by ;  and  we  say,  *  sellam  on  (give  our 
love  to)  our  people  in  Egypt.' 

"  There  is  a  white  bird  here  that  looks  much 
like  the  ibis  of  Egypt;  these  travel  down  on  the 
float  by  hundreds.  If  anything  disturbs  or 
frightens  them,  they  fly  to  the  nearest  tree  and 
settle.  The  tree  is  suddenly  transformed,  and 
from  a  distance  looks  as  if  covered  with  great 
white  blossoms.  On  one  piece  of  float  we  counted 
more  than  fifty  of  these  birds.  I  do  not  think 
they  are  fishers,  though  they  may  be.  In  the 
early  morning,  before  the  sun  shows  his  face,  but 
while  the  eastern  sky  is  aglow  with  blushes  because 
he  is  coming,  these  white  birds  come  back  on  the 
wing.  To  stand  on  our  hill  and  look  toward  the 
east  and  see  great  flocks  of  these  birds  pass  be- 
tween you  and  the  glow  of  the  sunrise  is  beautiful 
beyond  description.  One  feels  like  saying,  '  Oh, 
that  I  had  wings  like  a  white  bird.'  David  must 
have  watched  the  birds  in  the  early  morning. 

*'  Very  large  birds  also  sail  down  on  the  float ; 


204.        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


but  they  go  singly  or  in  pairs,  and  usually  on  the 
small  pieces  of  float.  They  are  not  on  a  pleasure 
trip,  but  are  attending  strictly  to  business.  They 
are  fishers  by  trade,  and  I  judge  very  successful 
ones. 

"  There  is  another  large  bird  worthy  of  note, 
because  at  a  little  distance  it  resembles  a  swan. 
These  are,  however,  pelicans.  Some  of  them  gray 
and  some  white;  they  all  swim  upon  the  surface  of 
the  water,  but  are  never  found  on  the  pieces  of 
float.  When  disturbed,  they,  too,  rise  from  the 
water  and  fly,  but  only  a  short  distance  and  then 
settle  again  on  the  bosom  of  the  river.  They  are 
better  swimmers  than  flyers.  This  morning  I 
counted  eighteen  in  one  group,  swimming  along  in 
line,  one  behind  the  other ;  they  seemed  to  be  play- 
ing '  follow  the  leader.'  But  we  have  birds,  and 
birds  and  birds,  I  could  not  tell  of  all. 

"  About  once  a  month  we  took  an  outing  of  some 
kind ;  it  did  not  matter  much  what  it  was  or  where 
we  went,  so  we  got  away  from  the  ordinary  scenes 
and  duties.  Generally  we  would  go  hunting  or 
picnicking,  or  combine  the  two,  and  these  were  de- 
lightful occasions;  for  the  sake  of  the  description 
of  the  country  and  conditions  I  will  refer  to  one  of 
them: 

"  Last  night  we  agreed  on  a  five-and-a-half 
start;  but  it  was  six-and-a-half  when  we  pulled 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  205 


out  from  the  shore.  Our  party  consisted  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Gwynne  (our  guest),  we  four  mis- 
sionaries and  six  Shullas.  Mohammed  was  also 
to  be  one  of  the  party,  but  he  asked  the  privilege  of 
walking  across  to  his  village  and  joining  us  later. 

"  I  wish  it  were  possible  to  give  you  a  pen 
picture  of  the  river  in  the  early  morning.  The  re- 
flection from  the  sky  was  lovely.  The  tall  grass 
on  either  bank,  sprinkled  through  with  still  taller 
white  flowers,  which  I  call  hollyhocks,  though  I  am 
told  they  are  a  wild  hemp — be  their  name  holly- 
hock or  hemp,  they  are  beautiful.  The  flowers, 
shaped  much  like  the  hollyhock,  are  ivory  white  in 
color  with  a  center  of  deep  maroon,  and,  on  their 
long  stems  which  lift  their  heads  above  the  grass, 
they  seem  to  be  bowing  and  smiling  at  you  as  you 
pass. 

"  The  songs  of  the  birds  and  the  flutter  of  their 
wings  as  they  flew  by,  seemingly  wanting  to  know 
our  business  in  their  domain;  and  the  call  of  the 
larger  birds  when  disturbed  by  the  men  on  shore, 
and  flocks  of  them  flying  in  long  lines  or  circling 
overhead,  were  a  constant  source  of  delight. 

"  The  water  of  the  river  was  as  smooth  as  oil, 
with  great  and  small  plots  of  float  drifting  down ; 
the  small  pieces  often  with  some  huge  water-bird 
sitting  perfectly  still  watching  for  a  fish  to  show 
itself  that  he  might  have  a  breakfast;  and  the 


206        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


r-r-r-rattle  of  the  frog  songs  were  on  the  float,  and 
banks,  and  everywhere.  The  air  and  sky  and 
water  were  full  of  music  and  sunshine  and  color. 

"  The  east  bank  of  the  river  is  low,  but  at 
some  places  on  the  west  bank  it  is  high  and  steep. 
Here  the  long  vines  draped  the  edge  and  floated 
out  upon  the  water.  Here  too,  bushes  grew  not 
only  on  the  top  of  the  bank,  but  often  out  of  the 
sides,  and  on  these  hung  dozens — yes,  hundreds — 
of  bird's  nests.  The  nests  were  woven  of  grass, 
and  hanging  from  the  outer  end  of  the  little 
tender  branches,  like  so  many  cones.  At  one  side, 
near  the  top,  was  the  little  opening,  which  was  well 
protected  from  intrusion.  I  did  not  see  the  bird, 
and  supposed  it  was  a  water-bird  of  some  sort,  but 
I  am  told  the  nests  are  seen  also  away  back  from 
the  river  and  in  the  timber,  but  always  suspended 
like  this  for  protection  from  snakes,  rats  and  other 
enemies. 

"  We  have  been  describing  things  as  seen  f  rom 
the  boat.  Much  depends  on  the  point  of  view. 
The  men  on  shore,  towing  the  boat,  saw  little  of 
the  beauty  that  filled  us  with  joy  that  morning. 
To  them  it  was  all  ro-ij  (bad).  The  tall  grass 
and  flowers  pulled  and  scratched  their  naked 
bodies,  and  the  float  made  pulling  hard.  The 
vines  tripped  their  feet;  the  bushes  were  full  of 
thorns  that  tore  the  flesh  and  caught  the  rope. 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  207 


To  them  the  bii'ds  were  nice  when  you  could  eat 
their  flesh  or  needed  their  feathers  for  adornment. 
But  the  sky,  the  water,  and  the  air  were  as  they 
always  had  been,  and  the  sun  was  hot.    '  Booh ! ' 

"  And  really  the  men  did  have  a  hard  time, 
though  chiefly  through  their  own  awkwardness. 
Mohammed  came  presently  to  meet  us.  He  had 
walked  across  the  land  at  the  great  bend  in  the 
river  and,  with  another  native,  floated  down  to 
meet  us  in  one  of  the  native  '  dug-out '  canoes. 
They  were  such  a  help  to  us  in  getting  past  the 
overhanging  bush  and  vines.  When-  the  ropes 
caught,  we  on  the  boat  would  catch  the  branches 
and  hold  our  boat  from  drifting  back.  Then  the 
rope  was  thrown  to  Mohammed  who  would  carry  it 
around  the  obstruction  and  pass  it  back  to  the  men 
on  shore.  Then  we  would  release  our  hold  and 
move  on  to  the  next  obstacle.  To  be  sure  this  was 
not  rapid  traveling,  but  we  were  in  no  great  hurry, 
and,  besides,  it  does  no  good  to  get  in  a  rush  in 
Shulla  Land,  unless  it  is  something  you  can  do 
for  yourself  and  ask  no  help  from  the  people. 

"  Finally  we  came  to  the  place  we  had  set  out 
for.  It  was  almost  noon  when  Mohammed  in  his 
little  canoe  shot  forward  saying,  '  The  hhor  is 
just  here.'  A  hluyr  is  an  inlet.  We  lost  sight  of 
him  as  he  shot  his  light  canoe  into  the  tall  grass 
that  eff'ectually  closed  behind  him.    I  am  sure  none 


208        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


of  us  in  the  boat  noticed  the  opening  even  when 
we  were  beside  it.  It  looked  just  the  same  as 
scores  of  other  places  along  the  shore.  But  Mo- 
hammed called  out,  '  Turn  in ! '  an9  our  big  boat 
crushed  through  the  harsh  swamp  grass  into  the 
Tchor,  We  could  not  go  far  for  the  water  was 
shallow,  and  the  men  carried  us  and  placed  our 
feet  on  dry  land,  in  a  path  that  led  up  from  the 
hidden  harbor. 

"  This  grassy,  reedy  hhor  needed  only  a  few 
forest  trees  to  fit  some  of  the  descriptions  of  the 
Leather  Stocking  Tales.  Even  without  the  trees, 
it  called  these  stories  to  mind.  It  would  have  been 
a  fine  place  to  hide  a  canoe  and  then  just  happen 
on  it  again  when  fleeing  from  Indians  bent  on 
killing  you. 

"  After  leaving  the  bt)at  we  walked  inland  for 
perhaps  an  eighth  of  a  mile  to  a  little  knoll  where 
were  some  trees  and  some  huts.  Here  we  rested 
for  some  time  and  then  spread  our  cloth, — the 
grass  being  short  on  the  knoll — unpacked  our 
hamper  and  had  our  dinner.  You  would  not  be- 
lieve how  good  it  tasted.  Here  is  the  bill  of  fare: 
Home-made  bread,  home-made  cheese,  orange  mar- 
malade, quince  jelly  (from  Egypt),  a  tin  of  Ar- 
mour's roast  beef,  some  tins  of  English  potted 
meats,  a  lot  of  beautiful  home-grown  tomatoes, 
three  big  bottles  of  coffee  and  three  others  of 


• 

DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  209 


sweet  morning's  milk,  and  a  three  gallon  jar  of 
boiled  water.  The  tomatoes  we  ate  with  our 
bread  and  meat,  and  called  it  salad ;  later  on  when 
we  ate  more  of  the  same  sort,  we  called  it  fruit  for 
dessert.  It  is  a  good  thing  to  imagine  one's  self 
a  child  again,  and  bring  into  play  the  same 
imagination  that  helped  us  get  so  much  enjoyment 
out  of  housekeeping  with  broken  dishes  and  im- 
provised courses,  making  ourselves  think  it  was 
fine  china  and  that  we  were  very  great  ladies  indeed 
and  entertaining  our  friends. 

"  The  place  was  not  a  village  for  men,  but  a 
stable  for  cattle  only.  The  cattle  belong  to  the 
people  living  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  There 
were  four  or  five  huts  for  the  men  who  care  for 
them. 

"  Dinner  over,  the  gentlemen  went  off  to  ex- 
amine the  wood  and  look  for  game,  while  Mrs.  Mc- 
Laughlin and  I  clung  to  the  scant  shade  made  by 
a  doleib  tree,  she  trying  to  sleep  and  I  to  write. 
Neither  of  us  succeeded  very  well  in  our  under- 
taking, nor  the  gentlemen  in  theirs,  for  they  re- 
turned without  game  other  than  one  poor,  wee 
pigeon.  And  the  timber  ?  Well,  there  was  nothing 
suitable  for  building  purposes.  I  must  say  that  the 
timber  in  this  part  of  Africa  has  been  most  dis- 
appointing. There  have  been  some  trees  cut  away 
for  fuel  for  steamers  and  other  purposes;  but  in 


210        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


no  place  are  the  trees  large.  AH — or  nearly  all — 
are  a  variety  of  the  acacia.  They  do  not  grow 
very  close  together,  nor  is  there  the  thick  under- 
growth that  the  pictures  in  our  old  geographies 
led  me  to  expect.  You  know  the  sort  I  mean — 
those  large  trees  covered  with  vines,  and  monkeys 
making  a  bridge  on  which  to  cross  over  rivers, 
with  an  immense  snake  hanging  from  at  least  one 
of  the  trees. 

"  Now  I  do  not  know  that  there  are  no  such 
scenes  in  some  parts  of  Africa,  but  I  do  say  they 
are  not  in  this  part.  I  have  sometimes  heard 
officials  and  others  talk  about  '  timber,'  but  in 
Ohio  we  would  call  it  brush,  or  where  the  trees 
grew  close  together  we  might  call  it  a  thicket. 
Indeed  it  looks  a  good  deal  like  a  wild  plum  thicket. 
Just  around  where  we  ate  our  lunch  the  trees  re- 
minded us  of  an  old  apple  orchard  where  about 
one-half  of  the  trees  had  died  away,  or  some  olive 
orchards  I  have  seen  in  Italy.  But  the  grass  is 
in  no  way  disappointing.  It  grows  tall  and  rank 
everywhere. 

"When  we  started  for  home  Mrs.  McLaugh- 
lin and  I  were  behind  all  the  others — not  much, 
but  we  loitered — and  then,  where  the  path  divided, 
we  took  the  wrong  one.  The  men  knew  by  our 
voices  that  we  were  on  the  wrong  road  and  shouted 
for  us.    We  were  in  no  danger  whatever,  but  it 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  211 


can  be  seen  how  easily  one  might  become  lost  if  out 
alone.  Wild  creatures,  too,  can  hide  in  this  tall 
grass  not  ten  feet  from  you,  and  you  never  sus- 
pect it.  A  little  later  on  the  rains  will  cease,  the 
fires  will  take  the  tall  grass,  and  the  ponds  that 
are  in  the  low  places  will  dry  up;  then  the  wild 
animals  will  come  over  the  uncovered  ground  to  get 
to  the  river  for  water.  Then  comes  the  hunter's 
opportunity. 

"  We  got  back  to  the  boat  in  due  time  and 
started  home.  The  Shullas  seemed  to  enjoy  the 
return  trip.  We  floated  with  the  current,  and  I 
am  sure  we  all  were  surprised  that  it  took  so  short 
a  time.  The  Shullas  sang  for  us.  Their  tunes, 
though  rather  monotonous,  were  pretty,  but  more 
chants  than  songs.  In  their  music  there  is  a  wild- 
ness  and  a  plaintiveness  that  makes  one  feel  sad, 
a  sort  of  homesick  sadness.  If  your  imagination 
be  strong,  you  can  hear  in  the  music  the  twang  of 
bowstrings  and  the  clash  of  spears,  as  well  as  the 
thud  of  spear  or  club  against  a  shield.  Now,  of 
course,  people  of  strong  common  sense  won't  hear 
such  nonsense,  but  some  others,  who  like  to  shut 
their  eyes  and  see  visions  and  dream  dreams,  can 
hear  it  all  very  distinctly.  At  last  we  reach  home, 
much  helped  by  the  day's  outing,  though  weary 
and  with  hands  and  faces  blistered. 

"  Still  the  day  is  not  done.    There  is  one  thing 


212        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


more — the  sunset.  Talk  about  pretty  sunsets  in 
Egypt,  or  in  the  desert;  I  never  saw  them  until  I 
came  here.  And  just  now  we  are  having  an  after- 
glow that  surpasses  any  sunset.  About  a  half 
hour  after  the  sun  disappears  the  sky  is  won- 
drously  beautiful.  In  the  west  it  is  not  a  pink, 
nor  a  gold,  nor  a  lavender,  nor  yet  a  blue,  neither 
is  it  a  salmon ;  yet  it  is  a  blending  of  all  these  into 
a  perfect  glory  of  color  which,  in  the  exact  west, 
is  at  its  brightest.  Here  too  it  flames  upward  to 
the  zenith  and  from  this  point  it  spreads  in  either 
direction,  growing  narrower  and  fainter  till,  in  the 
east,  it  is  like  a  dream  or  a  memory  of  the  glow  in 
the  west. 

"  How  I  wish  I  could  show  it  to  you !  The  hori- 
zon a  deep  purple  with  this  lovely  light  above, 
the  new  moon  like  a  silver  horn  hanging  in  the 
midst;  the  river  to  the  south  of  us  bright  with 
the  reflection;  to  the  north  growing  darker  and 
narrower  until  it  is  but  a  ribbon  of  dark  grey; 
the  grass  near  the  river  looking  like  green  in  the 
moonlight,  but  back,  to  the  east,  it  looks  like  fields 
of  ripe  grain,  ready  for  the  harvest.  See  it  all, 
through  and  under  and  over  and  beside  these 
dear  old  doleibs,  and  you  could  never  forget  it. 
Even  the  doleibs,  that  scold  and  gossip,  and  at 
times  seem  to  use  bad  language,  are  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  glow  and  glory  of  light,  and  are 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  21S 


whispering  secrets  or  making  love,  I  do  not  know 
which. 

"  Mr.  GifFen  read  to  me  the  other  day  of  some 
great  body  (I  don't  know  who)  who  wore  a  dress 
'  the  color  of  a  tropical  sky  at  night.'  It  seemed 
extravagant  speech  then;  but  we  should  be  told 
at  what  time  of  night  it  was  and  given  some  other 
particulars,  before  this  description  can  mean  any- 
thing. It  will  be  said  I  am  moonstruck.  But 
come  and  see  it  and  you  too  will  be  moonstruck. 

"  The  sunsets  in  Egypt  are  fine,  but  the  sun- 
sets on  the  Sobat  are  glorious,  and  with  an  ever 
increasing  power  over  the  beholder.  I  hope  you 
won't  send  me  home  in  a  '  strait- j  acket '  as  a 
*  luny.'  If  you  do,  the  three  others  must  go  too, 
for  they  are  as  far  '  gone '  as  I  am,  the  only  dif- 
ference being  that  they  still  have  sense  enough 
not  to  give  themselves  away." 

These  few  lines  which  now  follow  tell  what 
Doleib  Hill  was  to  us.  Better  than  confessions 
and  protestations,  they  show  how  we  loved  the 
place.  It  had  come  time  for  us  to  leave,  for  at 
least  a  year's  furlough  to  America,  possibly  for 
much  longer.  Others  had  come  to  take  our  places, 
and  as  we  were  waiting  for  our  steamer  Mrs. 
GifFen  wrote: 

"  Here  I  sit  in  the  house  that  was  ours,  but 
which  is  to  be  ours  no  longer,  and,  spread  about 


214.        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 

here  and  there  and  all  over  the  room,  are  our 
earthly  belongings — the  big  bag,  the  little  bag, 
the  brown  bag,  the  telescope,  the  bandbox  and  the 
lunch  box,  the  shawl  strap  and  the  basket — with 
all  their  sisters  and  cousins  of  a  larger  growth  on 
the  veranda  outside.  The  boat  was  to  have  been 
here  by  eight  o'clock  this  morning,  but  there  is 
no  sign  of  it  yet,  and  8  a.  m.  is  long  past.  I 
find  this  watching  *  for  our  ship  to  come  in '  a 
rather  sad  wait.  I  keep  telling  myself  that  '  it 
has  been  hard  work  here,'  and  '  it  is  far  away 
from  our  friends,'  and  everything  else  that  I  can 
think  of  that  is  not  pleasant ;  and  I  insist  with  my 
other  self  that  I  want  to  leave.  But  after  going 
over  the  whole  ground  many  times,  I  have  had  to 
confess  that  I  am  sorry  to  leave  Doleib  Hill  and 
all  these  shiny  black  faces  that  have  grown  so  very 
familiar  to  me,  and,  were  it  not  for  two  dear, 
white  faces  across  the  big  water  and  the  fact  that 
we  both  need  the  change,  I  would  say, '  Kelly,  don't 
let's.' 

"  Since  the  Carsons  came  to  take  our  place,  the 
days  have  slipped  away  and  have  been  all  too  short. 
In  the  evenings  we  have  sat  out  in  the  open  space 
between  our  houses,  discussing  plans,  and  talking 
over  so  many  things. 

"  I  think  I  never  saw  the  full  beauty  of  Doleib 
Hill  until  I  watched  it  from  the  steamer  as  we 


DOLEIB  HILL  AND  SOBAT  RIVER  215 


slipped  away  and  the  distance  grew  and  grew 
between  us.  As  we  caught  the  last  glimpse  Mr. 
Giffen  said:  'Peace  be  unto  Doleib  Hill.  For 
the  sake  of  the  house  of  Jehovah  our  God,  I  will 
seek  thy  good.'  And  we  both  felt  that  another 
chapter  of  our  life  was  ended.    What  next?" 


XVII 


THE  SUDAN  LAND 

In  a  country  like  the  Sudan,  where  the  natural  re- 
sources are  entirely  undeveloped,  the  successful 
operation  of  missionary  enterprises  largely  de- 
pends upon  the  possibilities  of  the  country.  On 
this  point  there  have  been  and  still  are  extreme 
views;  chiefly  due  to  the  view-point  of  those  ex- 
pressing an  opinion. 

The  Sudan  is  so  wide  in  extent  and  so  varied  in 
conditions,  that  it  is  not  surprising  that  we  meet 
with  opposing  views.  In  the  north  there  is  the 
wide  expanse  of  desert  that  produces  little  or 
nothing.  Near  the  river  there  is  a  narrow  strip 
redeemed  from  the  great  waste  by  the  life-giving 
water.  Rain  seldom  falls,  and  never  in  any  quan- 
tity sufficient  to  produce  more  than  a  scant  growth 
of  grass  in  the  lowest  places  and  a  few  groups  of 
thorny  and  almost  worthless  mimosa. 

Anyone  having  experience  with  this  desert 
country  and  forming  an  opinion  from  that  alone, 
would  be  justified  in  calling  the  Sudan  by  all  sorts 
of  ugly  names. 

Then  there  is  the  other  extreme,  and  on  the  map 
216 


THE  SUDAN  LAND 


217 


it  does  not  seem  far  from  one  to  the  other.  There 
are  vast  regions  where  the  rainfall  is  very  great. 
The  rivers  overflow  their  banks;  great  lakes  and 
swamps  are  the  result.  Malaria  and  fever  seem  to 
the  weary  sojourner  to  be  the  only  product.  Some 
can  only  see  the  wilderness  growth  of  grass  and 
bush,  hear  the  bellowing  of  the  hippo,  and  the 
ferocious  buzz  of  the  mosquito.  It  is  a  sad  story 
many  have  to  relate  of  the  regions  coming  within 
the  rain  circle.  Both  of  these  views  are  pessi- 
mistic, and  they  are  equally  unjust  and  misleading. 

Here  is  an  example  of  the  one  taken  from  no 
less  an  authority  than  Mr.  G.  W.  Steevens,  in  his 
"  With  Kitchener  to  Khartum." 

"  The  vindication  of  our  self-respect  was  the 
great  treasure  we  won  at  Khartum,  and  it  was 
worth  the  price  we  paid  for  it.  Most  people  will 
hardly  persuade  themselves  there  is  not  something 
else  thrown  in.  The  trade  of  the  Sudan?  For 
now  and  for  many  years  you  may  leave  that  out  of 
the  account.  The  Sudan  is  a  desert,  and  a  de- 
populated desert.  Northward  of  Khartum  it  is 
a  wilderness;  southward  it  is  a  devastation.  It 
was  always  a  poor  country,  and  it  always  must  be. 
Slaves  and  ivory  were  its  wealth  in  the  old  time, 
but  now  ivory  is  all  but  exterminated,  and  slaves 
must  be  sold  no  more.  Gum  arable  and  ostrich 
feathers  and  Dongola  dates  will  hardly  buy  cotton 


218        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


stuffs  enough  for  Lancashire  to  feel  the  dif- 
ference. 

"From  Haifa  to  above  Berber,  where  rain 
never  falls,  the  Nile  only  licks  the  lip  of  the 
desert.  The  father  of  Egypt  is  the  stepfather  of 
the  Sudan.  With  the  help  of  water-wheels  and 
water-hoists  a  few  patches  of  corn  and  fodder  can 
be  grown,  enough  for  a  dotted  population  on  the 
bank.  But  hardly  anywhere  does  the  area  of 
vegetation  push  out  more  than  a  mile  from  the 
stream;  oftener  it  is  a  matter  of  yards.  Such  a 
country  can  never  be  rich.  But  why  not  irrigate.'^ 
Simply  because  every  pint  of  water  you  take  out 
of  the  Nile  for  the  Sudan  means  a  pint  less  for 
Egypt.  And  it  so  happens  that  at  this  very 
moment  the  new  barrages  at  Assuan  and  Assiut 
are  making  the  distribution  of  water  to  Egypt 
more  precise  and  scientific  than  ever.  Lower 
Egypt  is  to  be  enlarged ;  Upper  Egypt  is,  in  part 
at  least,  to  secure  permanent  irrigation,  inde- 
pendent of  the  Nile  flood,  and  therewith  two  crops 
a  year.  This  means  a  more  rigid  economy  of 
water  than  ever,  and  who  will  give  a  thought  to 
the  lean  Sudan?  What  it  can  dip  up  in  buckets 
fat  Egypt  will  never  miss,  and  that  it  may  take — 
no  more. 

"  As  for  the  southward  lands,  they  get  rain,  to 
be  sure,  and  so  far  they  are  cultivable ;  only  there 


THE  SUDAN  LAND  219 


is  nobody  left  to  cultivate  them.  For  three  years 
now  the  Egyptian  army  has  been  marching  past 
broken  mud  hovels  by  the  river-side.  Dust  has 
blown  over  their  foundations,  Dead  Sea  fruit 
grows  rank  within  their  walls.  Sometimes,  as  in 
old  Berber,  you  come  on  a  city  with  streets  and 
shops — quite  ruined  and  empty.  Here  lived  the 
Sudanese  whom  the  Khalifa  has  killed  out.  And 
in  the  more  fertile  parts  of  the  Sudan  it  is  the 
same.  Worse  still — in  that  the  very  fertility  woke 
up  the  cupidity  of  the  Baggara,  and  the  owner 
was  driven  out,  sold  in  the  slave-market,  shipped 
up  Nile  to  die  of  Fashoda  fever,  cut  to  pieces, 
crucified,  impaled — anything  you  like,  so  long  as 
the  Khalifa's  fellow-tribesmen  got  his  land.  In 
Kordofan,  even  of  old  days,  lions  in  bad  years 
would  attack  villages  in  bands;  to-day  they 
openly  dispute  the  mastery  of  creation  with  men. 
From  Abyssinia  to  Wadai  swelters  the  miserable 
Sudan — ^beggarly,  empty,  weed-grown,  rank  with 
blood. 

"  The  poor  Sudan !  The  wretched,  dry  Sudan ! 
Count  up  all  the  gains  you  will,  yet  what  a 
hideous  irony  it  remains,  this  fight  of  half  a  gene- 
ration for  such  an  emptiness.  People  talk  of  the 
Sudan  as  the  East;  it  is  not  the  East.  The  East 
has  age  and  color;  the  Sudan  has  no  color  and  no 
age — ^just  a  monotone  of  squalid  barbarism.  It 


220        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


is  not  a  country,  it  has  nothing  that  makes  a 
country.  Some  brutish  institutions  it  has,  and 
some  bloodthirsty  chivalry.  But  it  is  not  a 
country:  it  has  neither  nationality,  nor  history, 
nor  arts,  nor  even  natural  features.  Just  the 
Nile — the  niggard  Nile  refusing  himself  to  the 
desert — and  for  the  rest  there  is  absolutely  noth- 
ing to  look  at  in  the  Sudan.  Nothing  grows 
green.  Only  yellow  halfa-grass  to  make  you 
stumble,  and  sapless  mimosa  to  tear  your  eyes; 
doom-palms  that  mock  with  wooden  fruit,  and 
Sodom  apples  that  lure  with  flatulent  poison.  For 
beasts  it  has  tarantulas  and  scorpions  and  ser- 
pents, devouring  white  ants,  and  every  kind  of 
loathsome  bug  that  flies  or  crawls.  Its  people 
are  naked  and  dirty,  ignorant  and  besotted.  It  is 
a  quarter  of  a  continent  of  sheer  squalor.  Over- 
head the  pitiless  furnace  of  the  sun,  under  foot 
the  never  ceasing  treadmill  of  the  sand,  dust  in  the 
throat,  tuneless  singing  in  the  ears,  searing  flame 
in  the  eye, — ^the  Sudan  is  a  God-accursed  wilder- 
ness, an  empty  limbo  of  torment  for  ever  and 
ever." 

It  is  impossible  not  to  admire  Mr.  Steevens's 
power  of  description,  and  one  covets  his  use  of 
language.  There  is  truth  in  all  that  he  has  writ- 
ten, and  had  Mr.  Steevens  confined  his  description 
to  the  desert  region  of  the  Sudan  there  could  be 


THE  SUDAN  LAND  221 


no  controversy.  But  to  the  ordinary  reader  the 
foregoing  would  convey  the  impression  that  all  the 
Sudan  was  a  fiery  desert  waste,  fit  for  neither  man 
nor  beast,  and  divinely  intended  to  swallow  up  the 
inhabitants  thereof.  Unfortunately,  nearly  all 
we  have  ever  read  or  heard  of  the  Sudan  is  of  this 
exaggerated  misleading  nature.  It  is  not  sur- 
prising therefore  that  a  general  impression  should 
exist  that  the  whole  country  is  as  Mr.  Steevens  has 
described  it. 

Even  General  Gordon,  who  knew  it  as  but  few 
white  men  ever  knew  it,  gave  expression  to  similar 
opinion.  But  Gordon  was  in  a  measure,  at  least, 
excusable,  shut  up  as  he  was  in  a  beleaguered  city, 
and  forsaken  by  his  friends.  Mr.  Steevens  also 
may  be  excused  on  the  ground  that  all  he  had  seen 
of  the  Sudan,  through  weary  months  of  marching 
and  fighting,  has  been  as  he  has  so  graphically 
depicted  it. 

Fortunately,  the  Sudan  is  not  all  desert.  There 
are  mighty  rivers,  with  great  fertile  valleys  and 
vast  productive  plains.  After  all,  the  desert  por- 
tions are  a  small  part  of  that  great  country. 
From  Wadi  Haifa  to  Khartum  is  nearly  600  miles 
of  barren  sand.  Here  the  Anglo-Egyptian  army 
had  to  do  their  weary  marching,  on  foot  or  on 
camels,  and  it  took  them  thirteen  years  to  con- 
quer this  desert,  which  had  so  long  closed  the  real 


222        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


Sudan  against  the  white  man's  world.  It  was  only 
when  these  brave  men  had  overcome  the  difficulties 
presented  by  the  600  miles  of  desert  that  the  true 
character  of  the  Sudan  became  known;  and  even 
yet  but  few  can  form  any  true  estimate  or  have 
any  just  conception  of  the  resources  of  the  Sudan 
country,  of  which  ivory  and  ostrich  feathers  form, 
or  will  form,  a  very  inconsiderable  part. 

From  Wadi  Haifa  to  Khartum — or  from  22° 
north  to  16°  north  is  only  6°  of  latitude.  If  we 
add  to  this  one  degree  more,  we  have  covered 
nearly  all  of  the  desert  waste  of  the  Sudan.  But 
against  this,  we  have  ten  degrees  of  territory 
farther  to  the  south,  most  of  which  is  as  fertile  and 
productive  as  North  Sudan  is  barren. 

It  is  not  a  question  of  irrigation  either,  for  the 
most  of  the  southland  comes  within  the  circle  of 
rainfall,  and  one  or  two  cultivated  crops  can  be 
grown  without  irrigation,  and  pasture  is  abun- 
dant almost  all  the  year.  Even  though  irrigation 
were  introduced,  it  would  not  greatly  affect 
Egypt.  In  Egypt  they  do  not  measure  water  by 
the  "  pint,"  as  Mr.  Steevens  seems  to  suggest, 
and  even  with  all  recent  improvements  in  irriga- 
tion works,  and  a  possible  increase  in  cultivated 
lands,  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  the  present 
volume  of  flood  is  prevented  from  going  out  to 
sea. 


THE  SUDAN  LAND  223 


The  Sudan,  however,  may  be  practically  inde- 
pendent of  irrigation,  while  the  very  life  of  Egypt 
depends  on  the  water  distributed  by  its  dikes  and 
canals.  Without  any  irrigation,  the  Sudan's 
southland  possesses  what  equals  the  Nile  overflow 
in  Upper  Egypt. 

An  irrigation  system  even  of  the  simplest  kind 
is  expensive.  What  a  great  advantage  then  has 
that  country  which  is  made  independent  by  rain- 
fall, and  which  could  in  addition  easily  avail 
itself  of  all  the  advantages  of  an  irrigation 
system. 

More  than  forty  years  ago  Sir  Samuel  Baker 
wrote : 

"  Egypt  remains  in  the  same  position  that 
nature  originally  allotted  to  her;  the  life-giving 
stream  that  flows  through  a  thousand  miles  of 
burning  sands  suddenly  rises  in  July,  and  floods 
the  Delta  which  it  has  formed  by  a  deposit  during 
perhaps  hundreds  of  thousands  of  similar  inunda- 
tions; and  it  wastes  a  superabundance  of  fer- 
tilizing mud  in  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean. 
As  nature  has  thus  formed,  and  is  still  forming,  a 
delta,  why  should  not  science  create  a  delta  with 
the  powerful  means  at  our  disposal?  Why  should 
not  the  mud  of  the  Nile,  that  now  silts  up  the 
Mediterranean,  be  directed  to  the  barren  but 
vast  area  of  deserts,  that  by  such  a  deposit 


224        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


would  become  a  fertile  portion  of  Egypt?  This 
work  might  be  accomplished  by  simple  means :  the 
waters  of  the  Nile,  that  now  rush  impetuously,  at 
certain  seasons  with  overwhelming  violence  while  at 
others  they  are  exhausted,  might  be  so  controlled 
that  they  should  never  be  in  excess,  neither  would 
they  be  reduced  to  a  minimum  in  the  dry  season; 
but  the  enormous  volume  of  water  heavily  charged 
with  soil,  that  now  rushes  uselessly  into  the  sea, 
might  be  led  throughout  the  deserts  of  Nubia  and 
Libya,  to  transform  them  into  cotton  fields  that 
would  render  England  independent  of  America. 
.  .  .  Were  this  principle  carried  out  as  far  as 
the  last  cataract  near  Khartum,  the  Sudan  would 
no  longer  remain  a  desert;  the  Nile  would  become 
not  only  the  cultivator  of  those  immense  tracts  that 
are  now  utterly  worthless,  but  it  would  be  the 
navigable  channel  of  Egypt  for  the  extraordinary 
distance  of  twenty-seven  degrees  of  latitude — 
direct  from  the  Mediterranean  to  Gondokoro,  N. 
lat.  4°  5¥. 

"A  dam  across  the  Atbara  would  irrigate  the 
entire  country  from  Gozeragup  to  Berber,  a  dis- 
tance of  upwards  of  200  miles;  and  the  same 
system  upon  the  Nile  would  carry  the  waters 
throughout  the  deserts  between  Khartum  and 
Dongola,  and  from  thence  to  Lower  Egypt.  The 
Nubian  desert,  from  Korosko  to  Abu  Hamed, 


THE  SUDAN  LAND  ^25 


would  be  a  garden,  the  whole  of  that  sterile 
country  inclosed  within  the  great  western  bend  of 
the  Nile  towards  Dongola  would  be  embraced  in 
the  system  of  irrigation,  and  the  barren  sands 
that  now  give  birth  to  the  bitter  melon  of  the 
desert  (cucumis  colocynthis)  would  bring  forth 
the  watermelon  and  heavy  crops  of  grain.    .    .  . 

"  This  is  the  way  to  civilize  a  country ;  the  engin- 
eer will  alter  the  hard  conditions  of  nature,  that 
have  rendered  man  as  barren  of  good  works  as  the 
sterile  soil  upon  which  he  lives.  Let  man  have 
hope ;  improve  the  present,  that  his  mind  may  look 
forward  to  a  future;  give  him  a  horse  that  will 
answer  to  the  spur  if  he  is  to  run  in  the  race  of 
life ;  give  him  a  soil  that  will  yield  and  tempt  him 
to  industry ;  give  him  the  means  of  communication 
with  his  fellow-men,  that  he  may  see  his  own  in- 
feriority by  comparison;  provide  channels  for  the 
transport  of  his  produce,  and  for  the  receipt  of 
foreign  manufactures,  that  will  engender  com- 
merce; and  then,  when  he  has  advanced  so  far  in 
the  scale  of  humanity,  you  may  endeavor  to  teach 
him  the  principle  of  Christianity.  Then,  and  not 
till  then,  can  we  hope  for  moral  progress." 

Sir  Samuel  Baker's  opinion  carries  conviction, 
for  he  was  not  ignorant  of  the  country  of  which 
he  wrote.  He  knew  its  barrenness,  but  he  also 
knew  the  possibilities  of  even  the  many  supposed 


226        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


barren  places,  and  the  sufficiency  of  its  mighty 
rivers  to  supply  its  one  great  need. 

The  opinion  he  expressed  is  almost  a  prophecy, 
the  fulfillment  of  which  may  not  be  far  distant. 
Already  the  great  reservoir  at  Assuan,  and  the 
weir  at  Assiut,  in  Egypt,  are  facts  that  promise 
a  more  complete  control  of  the  mighty  Nile,  and 
give  us  some  conception  of  what  may  be  done. 

But  Sir  Samuel  Baker's  thought  was  that,  by 
bringing  the  great  deserts  under  cultivation,  for 
which  he  held  there  was  an  abundance  of  water, 
and  by  building  the  mighty  system  of  dams,  weirs, 
and  locks,  the  desert,  which  now  excludes  the 
civilized  world  and  its  influence  from  the  heart  of 
Africa,  would  be  overcome.  The  black  man  so 
long  "  desert-locked "  in  the  heart  of  Africa 
would  be  brought  to  a  new  light  and  life. 

Still,  Sir  Samuel  Baker  could  not  know  of  all 
the  events  of  the  past  twenty-five  years:  events 
that  have  carried  civilization  across  the  desert 
reaches,  and  past  the  numerous  cataracts  of  the 
Nile,  and  on  to  the  more  fertile  regions  of  the 
Sudan.  Sir  Samuel  Baker  did  not  conceive  of  a 
railroad  thrown  across  the  desert  from  Wadi  Haifa 
to  Khartum,  thus  connecting  Upper  Egypt  with 
the  Upper  Sudan;  and  another  from  the  Red  Sea 
to  Berber,  bringing  the  commerce  of  Europe 
almost  as  near  to  Khartum  as  to  Cairo.  The 


THE  SUDAN  LAND  227 


heart  of  Africa  is  now  wide  open  to  the  great  high- 
way of  the  Nile. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  written  by 
Mr.  Leigh  Hunt,  and  published  in  many  of  the 
newspapers  of  America,  will  be  of  interest  in  this 
connection.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  too,  that 
Mr.  Hunt  wrote  from  the  Sudan,  in  November  of 
1903,  and  wrote  of  what  he  had  seen  and  learned 
from  personal  investigation,  and  with  all  the  facts 
before  him.    He  says  in  part: 

"  There  are  millions  of  idle  acres  of  land  along 
the  Nile  in  the  Sudan  capable  of  being  developed 
into  as  fertile  fields  as  those  lower  down  the  Nile 
in  Egypt,  which  are  to-day  the  highest  priced 
agricultural  lands  in  the  world.  I  may  not  be 
able  to  prove  to  your  satisfaction  the  correct- 
ness of  my  estimate  of  these  Sudan  lands,  yet  the 
proof  of  the  same  cannot  long  be  deferred;  when 
the  conditions  which  prevail  here  are  generally  un- 
derstood, and  the  Suakin-Berber  railway  is  com- 
pleted, the  Sudan  will  need  no  pushing.  It  will 
gather  population  and  develop  upon  its  own 
merits.  There  will  be  no  lack  of  men  and  means 
ready  and  anxious  to  proceed  with  the  develop- 
ment of  these  millions  of  acres  which  now  lie  prac- 
tically vacant.  Acres  that  will  produce  abund- 
antly of  wheat,  corn,  cotton,  tobacco,  sugar-cane, 
millet,  colfee,  fruit,  vegetables,  and  in  fact  almost 


228         THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


anything  the  human  family  needs.  If  you  doubt 
my  testimony,  based  not  on  guesses  or  hearsay, 
but  what  I  have  actually  seen,  I  beg  of  you  to 
study  the  reports  of  the  numerous  British  officials 
who  have  made  plain  all  those  facts  long  before  I 
ever  saw  the  Sudan.  These  competent  men  left 
nothing  new  to  discover  and  nothing  new  to  tell. 
And  you  will  find  investigation  of  conditions  and 
results  in  other  parts  of  the  world  between  like 
parallels  of  latitude,  namely  22  and  5,  very  help- 
ful in  forming  your  conclusions.  Gather  together 
the  best  results  obtainable  in  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
Southern  Mexico,  Central  America,  Cuba,  Vene- 
zuela, Southern  India,  Ceylon,  Burmah  and  the 
Philippines,  add  the  effects  of  the  fertilizing 
waters  of  this  incomparable  Nile,  and  this  unsur- 
passed climate,  and  your  imagination  should  then 
be  equal  to  the  task  of  believing  what  I  say  con- 
cerning the  efficiency  of  these  broad  acres  which 
are  generally  a  very  rich  alluvial  deposit  of  great 
depth.  And  while  you  are  studying  your  map, 
find,  if  you  can,  a  country  with  more  than  10,000 
miles  of  river  reaches  that  can  send  her  products 
into  the  markets  of  the  world  with  only  300  miles 
of  railway  haul — once  on  the  Red  Sea  you  are 
practically  in  the  markets  of  the  world.  With 
such  a  strategic  position  as  the  Suakin-Berber 
railway  will  give  the  Sudan,  I  see  no  reason  why 


THE  SUDAN  LAND  229 


England's  mills  should  not  soon  be  running  night 
and  day  the  year  through  on  cotton  of  her  own 
growing,  and  Sir  William  Garstin's  advice  as  to 
wheat-growing  in  the  Blue  Nile  country  turned 
well  to  the  advantage  of  the  poor  man's  loaf. 

"  There  are  some  interests  that  will  be  hard 
hit  when  Lord  Cromer  has  completed  his  road  from 
the  Upper  Nile  cataract  to  the  Red  Sea,  thus  trans- 
forming this  remote  land,  which  can  to-day  export 
to  advantage  only  articles  worth  their  weight  in 
gold,  to  what  must  become  an  accessible  storehouse 
of  plenty.  The  one,  the  fault-finding  member  of 
Parliament  who  dubs  this  the  land  of  ivory,  os- 
trich feathers  and  burning  sands ;  another  the  text- 
book makers  who  taught  us  and  are  teaching  our 
children  the  same  miserable  rot;  and  last,  but  not 
least,  the  competitors  for  England's  food  and 
cotton  markets. 

"  With  such  a  beneficent  government  as  Eng- 
land gives  the  Sudan,  with  a  soil  as  good  as  that 
of  the  Lower  Nile,  with  tropical  climate  not  to  be 
excelled  in  all  the  world,  and  with  facilities  for 
irrigation  and  transportation  such  as  the  Nile  and 
its  branches  afford,  there  can  be  but  one  result, 
when  once  a  suitable  people  is  found  to  supple- 
ment the  few  natives  which  survived  the  ravages 
of  the  Khalifa's  rule.  So  terrible  and  far-reach- 
ing was  the  area  of  devastation  in  the  reign  of  the 


230        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


Dervish  that  it  is  now  realized  that  Slatin  Pasha's 
estimate  of  seventy-five  per  cent,  loss  of  popula- 
tion is  under  rather  than  over  the  mark ;  while  the 
balance  were  left  impoverished  and  broken  in 
spirit.  1$  you  will  remember  that  it  is  scarcely 
five  years  since  Kitchener  fought  the  battle  of 
Omdurman,  I  may  be  able  by  giving  you  one  or 
two  of  the  countless  instances  of  the  unspeakable 
savagery  of  the  Mahdi  and  his  successor,  the 
Khalifa,  to  suggest  to  your  mind  a  sufficient 
cause  for  the  vacancy  that  exists  here.  The 
Museab  tribe  had  seven  thousand  fighting  men, 
besides  old  men,  women  and  children,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Mahdi's  reign,  they  now  number  all 
told  eleven  families.  The  Kababish  tribe  had 
350,000  camels — this  tribe  now  possesses  only 
3,000.  The  first  draft  made  on  them  by  the 
fiendish  Khalifa  robbed  them  of  seventy  thousand 
she-camels. 

"  Should  the  facts  which  history  reveals  afford 
you  insufficient  reasons  for  this  lack  of  population, 
permit  me  to  suggest  another  line  of  thought, — 
with  an  uncivilized  people  does  not  a  fertile  land 
beget  a  fiercer  savagery  that  must  in  time  lead  to 
desolation,  just  as  the  garden  spots  of  civilization 
beget  luxury  and  decay  .^^ 

"  The  great  obstacle  to  the  speedy  develop- 
ment of  the  Sudan  is  the  lack  of  labor.  Believing 


THE  SUDAN  LAND  231 


that  any  and  all  races  of  men  will  work  if  properly 
handled  and  directed,  I  am  convinced  that  the  few 
surviving  natives  of  the  Sudan  will  in  time  become 
as  good  workers  as  they  were  once  good  fighters. 
When  they  are  taught  a  broader  and  better  use  of 
money;  when  they  are  taught  by  example  that  in- 
dustry pays,  and  when  they  begin  to  appreciate 
fair  treatment  and  security  to  life  and  property 
you  will  see  a  marvelous  change  in  the  lives  of 
these  shiftless,  simple,  lazy  people.  But  even  then 
in  such  regions  as  the  Upper  Blue  Nile,  the  Sobat 
and  the  Bahr-el-Ghazal,  I  foresee  it  will  take 
patient  teaching  to  lift  the  natives  above  the  con- 
tentment which  the  rain  crops  give — where,  as  in 
Egypt,  the  ambitious  farmer  should  be  satisfied 
with  nothing  less  than  two  and  three  crops  a  year." 

The  Sudan  land  has  surely  been  maligned.  Its 
climate,  country  and  its  people  have  all  been 
despised  without  reason,  and  the  world  has  been 
led  to  believe  it  a  hopeless  waste  or  vile,  death- 
producing  swamp.  It  has  desert  and  swamp,  cer- 
tainly. But  so  have  Europe  and  the  United  States, 
and  so  has  almost  every  land  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  There  are  parts  of  Illinois,  Iowa  and 
Missouri  where  to-day  we  find  the  finest  agricul- 
tural lands  in  the  United  States,  where  at  one 
time — about  sixty  years  ago — the  conditions  were 
as  bad  as  they  are  on  the  White  Nile,  the  Sobat  or 


2S2        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


the  Bahr-el-Ghazal.  Yes,  they  were  even  worse,  for 
besides  the  malaria  with  which  the  first  settlers  had 
to  contend  they  had  the  rigorous  winters  also.  It 
could  not  be  otherwise.  Those  who  developed  these 
and  other  States  endured  far  greater  hardships 
than  will  come  to  those  who  may  develop  the 
valleys  of  the  mighty  rivers  of  the  Sudan.  Once 
developed,  the  value  of  the  Sudan  land  will  be 
double  that  of  the  best  in  the  United  States. 

In  another  letter,  Mr.  Hunt  says: 

"  The  Sobat  country  is  everything  you  claim 
for  it^and  much  more.  For  fertility  of  soil,  rich- 
ness of  climate  and  general  interest  these  Baro 
plains  excel  anything  that  I  have  ever  seen." 

As  much  could  be  said  perhaps  of  other  sections 
of  the  country.  In  the  development  of  every 
country  much  hardship  and  trial  has  been  en- 
dured ;  the  Sudan  will  hardly  be  an  exception.  Yet 
the  mildness  of  the  climate,  which  will  allow  the 
cultivation  and  production  of  crops  for  twelve 
months  every  year,  will  reduce  the  hardships  to  a 
minimum.  The  present  commercial  age  also 
offers  every  advantage  for  speedy  development. 
The  markets  of  the  world  are  open  to  every  land 
and  all  kinds  of  produce.  As  has  been  stated,  the 
lack  of  labor  is  the  greatest  drawback.  The 
population  is  scant  and  the  people,  especially  in 
the  southland,  are  of  the  despised  race.    They  are 


THE  SUDAN  LAND  233 


savages.  The  development  of  the  country  by 
foreign  Influence  may  not  be  an  unmixed  blessing 
to  these  poor  people.  It  may  mean  their  ruin  or 
annihilation  or,  what  would  be  equally  deplorable, 
they  may  become  mere  "  hewers  of  wood  and 
drawers  of  water."  The  present  Government  has 
certainly  been  kind  to  the  people  and  careful  of 
their  natural  rights.  Savage  and  half -savage  as 
they  are,  they  do  not  now  appreciate  all  this  kind- 
ness. But  the  black  man's  heart  is  easily  in- 
fluenced for  better  things  through  kindness  alone ; 
quick  to  imitate,  he  can  be  drawn  to  his  own  ruin 
by  the  white  man's  vices. 

The  very  fact  that  the  people  are  mean,  and 
wretched,  and  despised,  is  suflScient  excuse  for  the 
missionary  being  among  them,  to  guard  them  from 
evil  and  to  secure  to  them  as  much  of  blessing  as 
possible  from  the  inevitable  influx  of  European 
life  and  civilization,  and  from  the  development  of 
their  own  fertile  fields.  This,  together  with  their 
moral  and  spiritual  uplifting,  is  our  constant  aim 
and  hope. 


XVIII 


MISSIONARY  CONDITIONS 

The  Egyptian  Sudan  is  difficult  of  description  in 
anything  like  general  terms,  for  great  differences 
occur  in  its  racial  types,  its  climate  and  the 
physical  conditions  of  the  different  sections  of  this 
large  area  of  country.  The  northern  limit  of  the 
Egyptian  Sudan  is  Wadi  Haifa  at  about  22°  N. 
latitude,  and  the  southern  limit  is  Gondokoro  or 
within  5°  of  the  Equator.  The  eastern  boundary 
might  be  defined  as  the  Red  Sea,  south  to 
Abyssinia,  and  thence  south  along  the  western  fron- 
tier of  that  country.  The  western  boundary  is  not 
clearly  defined,  but  may  be  roughly  indicated  as 
including  the  provinces  of  Kordofan  and  Darfur, 
In  the  character  of  the  country,  we  pass  from 
barren  desert  to  fertile  river  plains.  In  the 
character  of  the  climate,  from  a  dry  desert  at- 
mosphere where  rain  seldom  falls  to  the  rain 
circle  where  there  are  heavy  tropical  rains  forming 
lakes  and  rivers,  and  converting  great  portions  of 
the  land  into  perpetual  swamps.  As  to  the  people, 
they  vary  in  degrees  and  shades  of  color  from  the 
bronze  Arab  or  Berberi  of  the  north,  to  the 

2M 


MISSIONARY  CONDITIONS  235 


blackest  of  the  black;  and  from  the  half -civilized 
to  the  savage  living  in  extremest  simplicity. 
Speaking  quite  generally,  however,  the  country 
may  be  divided  into  Northern  Sudan  and  Southern 
Sudan. 

In  Northern  Sudan  the  great  mass  of  the  people 
are  not  pure  negro,  but  are  of  Arab  descent  or  ad- 
mixture. They  speak  the  Arabic  language  and 
hold  to  the  Mohammedan  religion.  In  Southern 
Sudan  we  have  a  predominance  of  the  negro  type. 
The  people  are  wholly  unlettered,  with  many 
tribal  dialects  and  without  a  clearly  defined  re- 
ligion or  with  only  a  sort  of  fetich  worship.  But 
the  passing  from  one  of  these  conditions  to  another 
is  so  gradual  that  it  is  simply  a  shading  off  in  life, 
in  religious  thought,  and  in  color  of  skin.  And 
the  whole  mass  of  the  people  is  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious. As  to  which  class  has  the  advantage  over 
the  other — the  half -civilized  Mohammedan  or  the 
savage  negro — there  is  hardly  a  question. 

When  the  Arabs  came  into  the  Sudan  they  con- 
quered the  blacks  of  Northern  Sudan,  made  them 
their  slaves  and  concubines,  and  soon  the  whole 
black  population  of  Northern  Sudan  and  the  Blue 
Nile  region  became  absorbed  into  the  Arab  race. 
The  Arabs  have  ever  been  slave-raiders  and  slave- 
dealers  and  were  constantly  adding  slaves  and  con- 
cubines to  their  possessions.    This  had  the  effect 


^36        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


of  changing  not  only  their  color  of  skin  and  their 
features,  but  also  their  religious  thought  and  life. 
It  did  not,  however,  change  their  bigotry,  for  the 
Mohammedans  of  the  Sudan  have  been  most  igno- 
rant. Few  of  them  ever  learned  to  read,  and  those 
who  did,  read  only  the  Koran  and  kindred  Moham- 
medan literature.  The  very  conditions  begot 
bigotry  and  superstition  in  the  people. 

The  Christians  of  this  section  are  very  incon- 
siderable in  number,  and  as  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious as  their  Mohammedan  neighbors.  In  this 
estimate,  of  course,  I  do  not  mean  to  include 
Christians  who  have  come  into  the  Sudan  since  the 
events  of  the  Mahdi  rebellion.  These,  however, 
will  not  number  more  than  a  few  hundred.  Of 
those  who  were  there  before  the  rebellion,  there 
were  Copts  from  Egypt,  Abyssinians,  Greeks,  and 
a  few  Syrians,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  very  igno- 
rant. Some  of  these  in  course  of  time  embraced 
the  Mohammedan  religion,  especially  during  the 
Mahdi's  reign  and  that  of  the  Khalifa,  his  suc- 
cessor. Many  of  the  Abyssinians,  especially  those 
taken  as  prisoners  of  war,  women  and  children,  are 
yet  to  be  found  in  the  families  of  the  Mohamme- 
dans. 

Besides  these  there  are  many  representatives 
of  the  black  tribes,  brought  down  from  the  south 
either  as  slaves  or  by  the  Mahdi  and  his  successor. 


MISSIONARY  CONDITIONS  m 


So  to-day,  the  population  of  Northern  Sudan 
forms  a  motly  crowd  of  color  and  form. 

Nearly  all  the  inhabitants  of  Northern  Sudan, 
whether  Mohammedan,  Christian,  or  pagan,  have 
learned  something  of  the  Arabic  language  and  the 
Mohammedan  religion.  Missionary  work  for  these 
people  will  not  differ  greatly  from  that  carried 
on  in  Egypt;  viz.:  Christian  educational  work, 
coupled  with  organized  preaching  of  the  Gospel. 
Industrial  work  might  also  be  of  great  advantage 
in  many  places. 

The  Government  has  undertaken  educational 
work  along  certain  lines.  But  the  Government 
schools,  as  in  Egypt,  are  distinctly  Mohammedan 
and  therefore  do  not  serve  the  purpose  of  the 
Christian  missionary.  Indeed,  they  make  the 
Christian  school  all  the  more  necessary  and  create 
greater  difficulty. 

This,  in  brief,  is  the  condition  in'  Northern 
Sudan.  The  difficulties  are  many,  but  the  outlook 
is  not  hopeless.  Wider  liberty  has  been  given  the 
Christian  missionary  than  was  at  first  allowed,  and, 
at  present  at  least,  they  have  the  fullest  sympathy 
of  many  of  the  officials. 

At  present  there  are  no  Protestant  missionaries 
in  Northern  Sudan  except  at  Khartum,  the 
capital.  Strategically,  this  city  is  an  important 
point  from  which  to  work  out  into  other  remoter 


238        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


districts.  Both  the  Church  Missionary  Society 
of  London,  England,  and  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  North  America  have  missionaries  there : 
five  in  all.  There  is  a  mission  school  for  both 
boys  and  girls  in  Khartum,  another  for  boys  across 
the  White  Nile  in  Omdurman,  and  one  at  Wadi 
Haifa.  Others  may  soon  be  begun.  Preaching 
services  are  also  regularly  conducted  at  Khartum, 
Omdurman,  Halfaiyah,  and  occasionally  at  Ber- 
ber, Wadi  Haifa  and  other  points. 

In  Southern  Sudan,  the  country  south  of 
Khartum,  conditions  are  quite  different.  The 
Arabic-speaking  population,  and  consequently  the 
Mohammedan  religion,  ceases  to  become  a  factor. 
Here  we  find  these  black  people  whose  condition, 
and  life,  and  religious  thought  I  have  attempted  to 
describe  in  previous  chapters.  These  represent 
many  different  tribes,  all  black  people,  inhabiting 
the  Upper  White  Nile,  the  Sobat  River,  the  Bahr- 
el-Ghazal,  the  Bahr-el-Gebal  and  the  Bahr-el- 
Arab  districts — a  vastly  more  fertile  country,  but 
a  more  savage  people.  They  have  their  tribal 
dialects  or  languages,  and  are  without  any  sort 
of  civilized  life. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  difficulty  which  confronts 
the  missionary  is  the  multitude  of  languages  used 
by  these  many  tribes.  These  must  be  mastered,  in 
some  measure  at  least,  before  effective  missionary 


MISSIONARY  CONDITIONS  239 


work  can  be  accomplished.  And  even  then,  a 
serious  difficulty  is  encountered  in  the  expression  of 
abstract  thought,  and  in  inculcatingithe  truths  of 
the  Christian  rehgion  owing  to  the  meagre  vocabu- 
lary which  these  languages  possess. 

On  the  other  hand,  these  negro  tribes  are  not 
prejudiced  against  the  name  and  religion  of  Jesus, 
as  is  the  Mohammedan  everywhere.  They  are  more 
simple  and  more  easily  influenced  for  good  or  evil. 
Kind  treatment  will  draw  the  hearts  of  whole 
tribes  to  the  missionary  and,  through  him,  to  better 
things.  The  one  great  dread  of  the  missionary  is 
the  coming  among  them  of  a  class  of  evil-minded 
and  vicious  traders,  who  would,  in  a  very  great 
measure  at  least,  counteract  every  good  the  mis- 
sionary might  attempt.  Therefore,  industrial 
work, — trade  in  their  produce,  instruction  in  the 
simpler  arts  and,  above  all,  in  tilling  their  great 
fertile  fields — should  become  an  important  part  of 
missionary  instruction.  Thus,  if  possible  and  as 
far  as  possible,  any  hurtful  class  of  men  should  be 
barred  from  among  them. 

The  population  at  present  is  not  very  great; 
but  since  tribal  wars  must  cease  with  a  better 
government,  and  slave-raiding  is  abolished,  the 
population  may  be  expected  to  increase  very 
rapidly.  It  should  then  be  the  purpose  to  gain 
these  people  at  once,  and  thus  insure  the  increase 


^40        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


of  population  for  Christ.  Missionaries,  in  force 
sufficient  to  go  up  and  down  these  great  water- 
ways, buying  and  selling,  teaching  and  preaching, 
and  above  all  living  the  life  and  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ,  might  in  a  reasonable  time  accomplish  the 
redemption  of  these  people. 

At  present  there  is  but  one  Protestant  Mission 
station  south  of  Khartum,  where  are  two  mission- 
aries with  their  wives.  It  is  the  mission  with  which 
the  reader  of  these  pages  has  become  familiar — for 
they  have  given  the  story  of  its  beginnings. 
This  station  is  that  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  North  America,  and  is  located  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Sobat  River.  To  accomplish  the 
work  which  has  been  suggested  as  possible,  an 
adequate  force  of  workers  is  needed  with  boats  and 
steam  launches  to  facilitate  travel.  It  is  not  im- 
probable that  through  such  agencies  these  black 
tribes  may  be  won  long  before  their  Mohammedan 
neighbors  of  the  North. 

We  have  mentioned  elsewhere  the  climate.  This 
must  be  taken  account  of  in  considering  mission 
work.  We  believe  that,  although  the  climate  of 
any  part  of  the  Sudan  is  trying,  it  is  possible  for 
the  white  man  to  live  there  and  do  good  work. 
Frequent  changes  may  be  necessary  to  preserve 
health,  and  make  possible  the  best  work. 

Excessive  heat  in  the  North  and  excessive  mois- 


MISSIONARY  CONDITIONS  ^41 


ture  in  the  South  are  the  two  greatest  trials  of  the 
white  man,  arising  from  climatic  conditions,  but 
these  conditions  do  not  prevail  all  the  year.  There 
are  always  a  few  months  in  the  year  that  bring  re- 
lief from  these.  The  monotony  of  the  work  is, 
perhaps,  more  trying  on  the  nerves,  and  has  more 
to  do  with  producing  "  the  Sudan  temper  "  than 
the  climate.  As  the  country  develops,  too,  these 
conditions  will  be  improved.  Better  dwellings, 
better  food  and  all  the  comforts  and  conveniences 
of  life  come  along  with  improved  commerce  and 
transportation.  These  are  coming  rapidly  to  the 
Sudan.  Engineers  and  men  of  commerce  will 
risk  their  lives  for  a  little  paltry  gain.  Surely 
then  there  will  be  men  and  women  courageous 
enough  to  take  similar  risks,  whatever  they  be,  to 
bring  to  these  Sudanese  tribes  the  glad  tidings 
of  salvation. 


XIX 


DARKNESS  AND  DAWN 

"Ah,  the  land  of  the  rustling  of  wings, 

Which  is  beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethiopia; 
That  sendeth  ambassadors  by  the  sea, 

Even  in  vessels  of  papyrus  upon  the  waters: 

"  Go,  ye  swift  messengers,  to  a  nation  tall  and  smooth. 
To  a  people  terrible  from  their  beginning  onward; 
A  nation  that  meteth  out  and  treadeth  down, 
Whose  land  the  rivers  divide. 

"  All  ye  inhabitants  of  the  world,  and  ye  dwellers  on  the 
earth,  when  an  ensign  is  lifted  up  on  the  mountains,  see  ye; 
and  when  the  trumpet  is  blown,  hear  ye.  For  thus  hath  the 
Lord  said  unto  me,  I  will  be  still,  and  I  will  behold  in  my 
dwelling  place;  like  clear  heat  in  sunshine,  like  a  cloud  of 
dew  in  the  heat  of  harvest.  For  afore  the  harvest,  when 
the  blossom  is  over,  and  the  flower  becometh  a  ripening 
grape,  he  shall  cut  oif  the  sprigs  with  pruninghooks,  and 
the  spreading  branches  shall  he  take  away  and  cut  down. 
They  shall  be  left  together  unto  the  ravenous  birds  of  the 
mountains,  and  to  the  beasts  of  the  earth;  and  the  ravenous 
birds  shall  summer  upon  them,  and  all  the  beasts  of  the 
earth  shall  winter  upon  them.  In  that  time  shall  a  present 
be  brought  unto  the  Lord  of  hosts 

"    ...    of  a  people  tall  and  smooth. 
And  from  a  people  terrible  from  their  beginning  onward; 
A  nation  that  meteth  out,  and  treadeth  down, 

Whose  land  the  rivers  divide — 
To  the  place  of  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  Mount 
Zion." 

— Isaiaht  chap,  xviii.,  "Modern  Reader's  Bible." 
242 


DARKNESS  AND  DAWN  MS 


To  one  who  has  lived  in  the  Sudan,  and  is  ac- 
quainted with  its  history,  so  striking  is  the  cor- 
respondence between  Isaiah's  prophecy  concerning 
the  "  land  which  is  beyond  the  rivers  of 
Ethiopia  "  and  both  past  history  and  present  con- 
ditions in  the  Egyptian  Sudan,  that  one  is  almost 
led  to  believe  that  the  prophet  was  personally  ac- 
quainted with  the  land  which  he  so  vividly 
described. 

He  calls  it  the  "  land  which  is  beyond  the  rivers 
of  Ethiopia."  It  is  not  difficult  to  identify 
Ethiopia,  for  "  to  the  ancients  it  represented  all 
the  land  bounded  by  the  Upper  Nile  on  the  west, 
and  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Arabian  Gulf  on  the 
east;  the  southern  extremity  they  did  not  profess 
to  be  able  to  fix."  At  least  the  northern  por- 
tion of  this  territory  had  a  clearly-defined  civili- 
zation, and  was  organized  into  a  kingdom  of  con- 
siderable power  and  influence,  with  Napata,  and 
later  Meroe,  as  its  capital,  and  standing  now  in 
subjection  to,  now  in  hostility  to,  and  again  in 
alliance  with,  the  kingdom  of  Egypt  to  the  north. 

The  rivers  of  this  land  of  Ethiopia  are,  there- 
fore, the  Atbara,  the  Blue  Nile,  and  their  tribu- 
taries. Northern  Sudan  is,  therefore,  identical 
with  Ethiopia  of  old,  and  the  southern  portion, 
which  lies  just  beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethiopia  men- 
tioned   above,    is    the   land   described   in  this 


244        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


prophecy.  It,  in  turn,  however,  is  described  as  a 
land  which  "  the  rivers  divide,"  and  a  glance  at 
the  map  will  justify  the  description.  To  the  east 
is  the  Sobat  River,  whose  sources  have  not  yet  been 
explored,  but  which  lead  us  into  the  mountainous 
regions  of  southern  Abyssinia.  To  the  south  and 
west  the  White  Nile  itself  breaks  into  innumerable 
streams,  giving  literal  correspondence  in  fact  to 
the  statements  of  the  prophet.  It  is  only  in  recent 
times  that  our  acquaintance  with  the  geography  of 
this  entire  region  has  been  lifted  out  of  mere  con- 
jecture. Were  not  the  ancients  better  informed 
as  to  this  country  than  are  we  even  to-day? 

The  prophet  designates  "  the  land  which  is  be- 
yond the  rivers  of  Ethiopia  "  as  "  the  land  of  the 
rustling  of  wings."  All  that  vast  region  is  res- 
onant with  bird  and  insect  life.  Everywhere  one 
goes  great  flocks  of  birds  line  the  banks  of  rivers 
or  lakes,  or  fill  the  air,  and  are  actually  shadowing 
the  ground.  I  can  give  no  complete  list  of  them, 
but  those  found  in  great  flocks  are  the  stork, 
crane,  pelican,  flamingo,  bustard,  florican,  guinea- 
fowl,  goose,  or  duck,  partridge,  diver,  and  many 
others  the  names  of  which  I  have  never  learned. 

The  vulture  tribes  are  especially  numerous,  as 
also  flamingo  and  pelican,  geese  and  duck,  and  at 
their  migrating  season  the  swish  of  their  wings 
may  be  heard  almost  constantly.     Beside  the 


DARKNESS  AND  DAWN  245 


larger  birds  which  we  have  mentioned,  some  of 
which  stand  several  feet  high,  the  banks  of  the 
river  and  streams  swarm  with  small  birds  that  go 
down  to  drink  or  nest  near  the  water.  Especially 
when  the  top  of  the  tall  grass  is  full  of  seed  are 
these  chirping  and  twittering  birds  most  numerous. 
The  tiny  creatures  seem  to  take  no  rest  except  at 
night,  and  even  then  they  are  easily  disturbed. 
On  a  moonlight  night,  as  our  boatmen  towed  us 
near  the  bank,  the  rope  bent  down  the  tall,  slender 
reeds  and  canes,  and  the  birds,  startled,  flew  in 
great  flocks,  and  when  all  else  was  still,  the  sound 
of  their  wings  and  their  frightened  twitter  was  like 
the  flowing  of  water  over  rocks,  and  this  con- 
tinued for  miles  of  our  travel.  In  the  daytime 
they  are  constantly  disturbed  by  man  and  beast, 
while  the  falcon  and  hawk  pursue  them  at  all  times 
and  in  every  direction,  and  they  get  no  rest,  swirl- 
ing in  the  air  like  leaves  caught  up  and  carried 
about  in  a  whirlwind.  Certainly,  it  is  well-named 
"  the  land  of  the  rustling  of  wings." 

A  rallying  of  the  clans  by  means  of  messengers 
sent  hastily  along  the  rivers  gives  us  a  description 
of  some  of  the  customs  of  the  people.  They 
"  send  messengers  by  the  sea  and  in  vessels  of 
papyrus  by  the  waters."  Here  as  elsewhere  (see 
Nahum  3:8,  Isaiah  19:5,  Job  41:31)  the  word 
translated  "  sea  "  may  be  rendered  "  river  " — to 


M6        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


this  day  the  Nile  bearing  this  name,  el-Bahr.  On 
the  Upper  Nile  then  and  its  tributaries  so  full  of 
papyrus,  they  had  numerous  small  boats  con- 
structed of  the  tall,  light  stems  of  that  plant; 
even  in  the  present  time  the  tribes  of  black  people 
along  these  rivers  construct  such  light  craft,  al- 
though the  most  of  their  boats  are  long  canoes  dug 
out  of  the  trunks  of  trees.  In  many  places  along 
the  White  Nile  and  its  tributaries  there  is  also  a 
wood  called  amhatch,  which  is  lighter  than  cork; 
of  this  the  people  make  rafts  and  use  it  in  crossing 
the  rivers  and  for  communication  along  the 
streams. 

The  people  are  described  as  "  tall  and  smooth." 
Who  has  not  been  impressed  with  the  magnificent 
physical  development  of  these  negro  tribes,  es- 
pecially of  the  Shullas  and  Anyoks  of  the  Sobat 
region — six  feet  tall,  six  feet  six  many  of  them, 
broad-shouldered,  athletic,  with  skin  as  smooth  as 
polished  ebony. 

"  A  people  terrible  from  their  beginning  on- 
ward, a  nation  that  meteth  out  and  treadeth  down." 
Absolutely  fearless  in  battle,  placing  little  estimate 
on  life,  of  undaunted  courage  and  savage  cruelty, 
the  description  of  the  prophet  is  abundantly  borne 
out  by  the  records  of  war  written  on  the  temples  of 
Ancient  Egypt,  as  also  by  the  chronicles  of  the 
recent  Mahdi  rebellion. 


DARKNESS  AND  DAWN  247 


Such  are  some  of  the  many  realistic  touches 
which  this  obscure  prophecy  possesses. 

The  prophecy  itself  clearly  presents  two  con- 
trasting pictures:  A  dark  vision  of  war  and 
desolation,  which  at  last  gives  way  to  a  bright 
vision  of  peace  and  redemption. 

Whatever  partial  fulfilment  the  dark  prophecy 
of  desolation  had  in  earlier  centuries,  a  striking 
fulfilment  of  it  is  at  hand  in  the  recent  desolations 
of  the  Mahdi  movement.  "  They  shall  be  left 
together,"  says  the  prophet,  "  unto  the  ravenous 
birds  of  the  mountains,  and  to  the  beasts  of  the 
earth;  and  the  ravenous  birds  shall  summer  upon 
them,  and  all  the  beasts  of  the  earth  shall  winter 
upon  them."  What  better  commentary  can  be 
found  upon  this  passage  than  the  record  of  events 
under  Mahdism.  Those  that  escaped  the  sword 
in  battle,  disease  claimed,  and  those  that  escaped 
death  by  disease,  famine  claimed,  until — think  of 
it! — in  two  brief  decades  the  population  was  re- 
duced from  ten  million  to  two  and  a  half -million. 

To  those  who  are  not  familiar  with  events  in 
the  Sudan  from  1881  to  1898,  we  earnestly  ad- 
vise that  they  read  such  books  as  "  Fire  and  Sword 
in  the  Sudan,"  by  Slatin  Pasha ;  "  Ten  Years  in 
the  Mahdi's  Camp,"  by  Father  Ohrwalder;  "The 
Journals  of  Ma j  or-General  Gordon,  at  Khar- 
tum," or  "  With  Kitchener  to  Khartum,"  by 


248        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


Steevens.  As  we  acquaint  ourselves  with  the 
events  of  the  Mahdi  movement ;  as  we  see  hundreds 
slain  in  cold  blood,  the  victims  of  a  merciless 
tyranny ;  as  we  see  thousands  perishing  of  famine, 
the  result  of  hopeless  misrule;  the  White  Nile 
bringing  down  the  bodies  of  those  who  died  in  the 
interior  while  the  dead  lie  unburied  in  the  very 
streets  of  the  city  of  Omdurman ;  as  we  watch 
hundreds  of  thousands  perishing  in  the  vain  effort 
to  stem  the  tide  of  Kitchener's  victorious  cam- 
paigns; as  we  add  to  these  horrors  the  slaughters 
of  the  war  with  Abyssinia;  as  we  thus  see  three- 
fourths  of  the  population  of  the  Sudan  wiped  out 
of  existence  in  two  brief  decades,  we  are  ready  to 
confess  that  nothing  seems  lacking  in  the  fulfill- 
ment of  this  prophecy  of  desolation !  "  They 
shall  be  left  together  unto  the  ravenous  birds  of 
the  mountains,  and  to  the  beasts  of  the  earth; 
and  the  ravenous  birds  shall  summer  upon  them 
and  all  the  beasts  of  the  earth  shall  winter  upon 
them." 

Slatin  Pasha,  in  referring  to  the  battle  of  the 
Dervishes  with  the  Abyssinians,  says :  "  The  road 
between  Gallabat  and  Abu  Haraz  was  strewn  with 
corpses."  And  again :  "  The  rush  of  the 
Abyssinian  force,  which  was  ten  times  as  strong 
as  that  of  Arbab,  was  terrible;  in  a  few  minutes 
the  Mahdi's  forces  were  completely  surrounded, 


DARKNESS  AND  DAWN  249 


Arbab  himself  killed,  and  almost  all  his  troops 
massacred,  only  a  few  escaping.  Galabat  itself 
was  burned  to  the  ground ;  and  for  a  long  time  its 
site  was  little  else  than  a  great  open  cemetery,  the 
abode  of  nothing  save  hyenas." 

The  further  havoc  wrought  by  famine  is  vividly 
described  by  Father  Ohrwalder :  "  The  awful 
scenes  enacted  by  the  starving  inhabitants  in  the 
market  place  at  Omdurman  are  beyond  description. 
People  flocked  from  Berber,  Kassala,  Galabat,  and 
Karkoj,  thinking  that  the  distress  would  be  less 
there  than  in  the  provinces,  but  here  they  were 
quite  mistaken.  As  one  walked  along  one  could 
count  fifty  dead  bodies  lying  in  the  streets,  and 
this  quite  irrespective  of  those  who  died  in  their 
own  homes.  Although  the  famine  swept  off  hun- 
dreds, still  the  people  poured  in  from  the  provinces. 
Dervishes,  who  had  heaped  insults  on  the  Turks 
during  the  seige  of  El-Obeid  for  eating  donkeys 
and  other  unclean  animals,  were  now  feeling 
Heaven's  vengeance,  for  not  only  did  they  eat 
unclean  animals,  but  their  own  children  as  well. 
There  were  so  many  dead  bodies  about  that  it  was 
not  possible  to  bury  them  all.  At  first  they  used 
to  bury  them  within  the  city,  but  the  Khalifa  put  a 
stop  to  this,  and  they  were  then  taken  out  to  the 
northwest  side,  and  up  to  this  day,  if  anyone 
walks  in  that  direction,  he  will  find  the  plain  scat- 


250        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


tered  with  innumerable  skulls  and  human  bones, 
which  lie  there  glistening  in  the  sun,  as  white  as 
snow;  the  driving  sand  and  burning  sun  have 
polished  them  like  glass." 

"  How  many  were  carried  away,  God  only 
knows.  The  scent  of  the  dead  bodies  brought 
hyenas  everywhere;  and  they  became  so  bold  that 
they  would  come  up  almost  to  my  door.  As  for 
vultures,  their  name  was  legion,  but  even  they, 
with  the  help  of  all  the  hyenas,  were  unable  to 
consume  all  the  bodies^. 

"  Around  Galabat  the  hyenas  became  so  bold, 
that  they  would  sneak  into  the  villages  almost  be- 
fore the  sun  was  down,  and  drag  off  the  wretched 
half -dead  people.  Out  of  Zeki's  force  of  eighty- 
seven  thousand  souls  before  the  famine,  there  re- 
mained, after  it  was  over,  only  ten  thousand,  m- 
cluding  women  and  children.  Korkoj  and  Sen- 
nar,  which  were  generally  called  the  granaries  of 
the  Sudan,  were  desolated  by  famine.  It  was,  in- 
deed, Heaven's  terrible  retribution  on  a  people  who 
had  practiced  untold  cruelties  and  shed  rivers  of 
innocent  blood." 

But  Isaiah's  prophecy  does  not  close  in  dark- 
ness. Darkness  gives  way  to  light.  The  dawn 
of  a  millennial  day  is  foretold:  "In  that  time 
shall  a  present  be  brought  unto  the  Lord  of 
hosts 


DARKNESS  AND  DAWN  251 

"    ...   of  a  people  tall  and  smooth, 
And  from  a  people  terrible  from  their  beginning  onward; 
A  nation  that  meteth  out,  and  treadeth  down, 

Whose  land  the  rivers  divide — 
To  the  place  of  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  Mount 
Zion." 

When  shall  these  things  be?  With  the  Church 
of  Christ  lies  the  answer,  as  unto  her  has  been  com- 
mitted the  gospel  of  redemption  that  she  may 
evangelize  the  world.  God  by  his  providence  has 
prepared  the  way  for  an  early  realization  of  this 
part  of  the  Isaianic  prophecy.  To  this  end  has  He 
brought  into  supreme  control  in  the  Sudan  a 
Christian  nation.  The  power  and  the  glory  of 
the  kingdom  of  Ethiopia  long  ago  departed  from 
her.  The  people  once  "  terrible  from  the  begin- 
ning onward ; "  which  once  meted  out  and  trod 
down  others,  are  now  a  nation  broken  by  centuries 
of  oppression,  devastated  by  decades  of  slavery, 
and  all  but  annihilated  by  years  of  warfare. 
Broken,  bruised,  disappointed,  betrayed,  the 
Sudanese  nation  lies  helpless  at  the  feet  of  the 
Christian  Church.  Isaiah  foretells  the  true  resto- 
ration; the  prophet  Zephaniah  too  looks  forward 
to  a  redemption.  Why  do  we  not  arise  to  realize 
these  prophecies  and  give  them  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  that  their  darkness  may  be  turned  into 
glorious  day?  "For,"  says  Zephaniah  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  "  then  will  I  turn  to  the  peoples 


252        THE  EGYPTIAN  SUDAN 


a  pure  language,  that  they  will  call  upon  the  name 
of  Jehovah,  to  serve  him  with  one  consent.  From 
beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethiopia  shall  they  bring 
my  suppliants,  even  the  daughter  of  my  dispersed, 
for  an  offering  unto  me."  (Marginal  Reading.) 
And  Isaiah  adds :  "  In  that  time  shall  a  present 
be  brought  unto  the  Lord  of  hosts 

"    ...   of  a  people  tall  and  smooth. 
And  from  a  people  terrible  from  their  beginning  onward; 
A  nation  that  meteth  out,  and  treadeth  down. 

Whose  land  the  rivers  divide — 
To  the  place  of  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  Momit 
Zion." 


THE  END 


IN  THE  WIDE.  WIDE  WORLD. 


Modern  India 

Illustrated.  8vo,  Cloth,  net  $2.00. 

WILLIAM  ELEROY  CURTIS 

With  so  many  books  on  India  one  might  ask,  why  any  more  T 
The  answer  is  that  Mr.  Curtis  has  a  way  of  finding  out  what  others 
miss,  and  of  telling  his  story  so  that  it  cannot  be  forgotten. 


£^^ypt>  Burma  and  British  Malaysia 

Illustrated,  8vo,  Cloth,  net  $2.00. 

WILLIAM  ELEROY  CURTIS 

Mr.  Curtis  is  the  most  skillful  observer  in  the  ranks  of  American 
travelers  and  correspondents.  His  pages  are  fascinating  pictures  of 
life,  men  and  affairs  in  out-of-the-way  places,  and  moreover  he  tells 
one  just  the  things  most  worth  knowing  about  everywhere  he  goes, 
whether  it  is  scenery,  politics,  business  or  religion. 


The  Mediterranean  Traveller  daf;^'Baede"k«°' 

2nd  Edition,  revised.    Illustrations  and  Maps,  i2mo.  Cloth,  net  $2.50. 

DANIEL  E.  LORENZ 
"Gives  essential  facts  in  one  compact  volume,  and  it  is  done  well. 
Treats  in  order  Madeira,  Southern  Spain  and  Gibraltar,  crosses  the 
Strait  to  Tangier,  Algiers  and  Tripoli,  then  carries  the  reader  to  Tur- 
key, Palestine  and  Egypt,  and  returns  him  along  the  northern  shores, 
through  Italy  and  the  Riviera.  The  traveler  will  find  it  of  service  in 
planning  his  travels  through  these  fascinating  lands." — N".  V.  Sun. 


Round  the  World  Toward  the  Westering 
Sun 

lamo.  Cloth,  net  $1.25.  LEE  S.  SMITH 

In  an  earlier  volume  "  Through  Egypt  and  Palestine  "  Mr.  Smith 
gave  ample  evidence  of  his  ability  to  write  entertaingly.  In  this  new 
book,  with  a  wider  field  he  has  produced  not  only  an  exceedingly  in- 
teresting work,  but  a  valuable  guide  to  intending  tourists. 


Two  Years  in  Three  Continents 

8vo,  Cloth,  net  $2.00.  E.  M.  CONDIT 

"It  is  impossible  to  read  the  cheerful  narrative  of  this  lively  globe- 
trotter without  absorbing  some  of  his  enthusiasm,  for  he  is  full  of  ic" — 
Boston  Transcript. 


Missions  from  the  Modern  View 

Introduction  by  Charles  Cathbert  Hall.  D.D. 
ismo.  Cloth,  netlx.25.  ROBERT  A.  HUME 

"Dr.  Home's  treatment  of  the  theme  is  that  of  one  on  the  firing 
line,  engaged  in  manifold  practical  aetiTities  but  at  the  same  time 
keeping  pace  with  the  best  Chrictiaa  thooght  of  England  and  Amer- 
ica.   " — Omgre^Miisualitt. 


IN  MISSION  LANDS. 


The  Egyptian  Sudan 

Illustrated,  i2mo.  Cloth,  net|i.oo.  J.  K.  QIFFEN 

A  new  mission  field  occupied  by  the  American  United  Presbyter- 
ian Board  almost  immediately  after  the  capture  of  Kartoum.  The 
story  of  the  mission  with  its  incidental  description  of  the  country  and 
its  resources,  the  people  and  their  customs  is  told  by  the  pioneer 
missionary  out  of  his  own  large  and  interesting  experience. 

On  the  Borders  of  Pigmy  Land 

Profusely  illustrated  with  photographs, 
lamo.  Cloth,  net  $1.25.  RUTH  B.  FISHER 

A  clever,  wide-awake  missionary  wife  can  write  an  interesting 
story  almost  any  time,  especially  if  she  has  lived  among  such  a-much- 
talked-of  people  as  the  African  Pigmies,  of  whom  really  little  is  known. 
Mrs.  Fisher  writes  most  entertainingly,  and  is  free  from  cant  and 
commonplace  She  is  a  good  observer,  and  one  could  wish  for  many 
more  such  informing  books  as  this  about  missionary  lands. 

The  Pen  of  Brahma  Peeps  into  Hindu  Hearts  and  Homes 

Illustrated,  ismo.  Cloth,  net  $1.25.  BEATRICE  M.  HARBAND 

Miss  Harband  has  a  gift  for  making  the  life  of  far-away  people 
seem  intensely  real.  A  novel  is  not  more  fascinating  than  this  picture 
of  life  told  with  spirited  touch  and  sympathetic  insight. 

The  Great  Religions  of  India 

i2mo.  Cloth,  net  $1.50.  J.  MURRAYMITCHELL,  M.A.,LL.D. 

A  careful  presentation  of  the  main  tenets  of  Hinduism,  Zoroas- 
trianism,  Buddhism,  Mohammedanism,  and  a  glance  at  the  beliefs  at 
the  wilder  tribes  of  India.  This  study  is  the  result  of  years  of  mission- 
ary life  and  study. 

PA«f  r%r  H«i  China's  Christians. 

X-asiV^l  j5  Illustrations  and  colored  map. 

i2mo,  Cloth,  net  $1.00.  MRS.  HOWARD  TAYLOR 

"Of  surpassing  interest.  Ought  to  do  much  toward  deepening  the 
spiritual  life." — Rev.  J.  Huds0n  Taylor. 

"It  is  an  amazing  record,  and  will  at  once  take  rank  among  the 
most  powerful  missionary  books." — The  Life  of  Faith. 

Things  As  They  Are  Mission  work  in  Southern  India 
Illustrated.  i»mo,  cloth  #1. net ArtY  WILSON  CARMICHAEL 

"Remarkable  missionary  book.  Only  a  woman  could  so  clearly 
see  and  tell  of  the  horror  of  being  a  woman  in  India." — Congrtga- 
tionalist. 

The  White  Peril  in  the  Far  East 

A  study  of  the  ethical  and  international  significance  of  the  Russo- 
Japanese  war,  by  the  Author  of  Evolution  of  the  Japanese. 

lamo.  Cloth,  net  $x.oo.  SIDNEY  L.  QULICK 

)  "A  concise,  clear,  comprchensiTe  presentation  of  the  national  and 
iateraational  interest  involved  in  present  movements  and  teadeades 
Tiewed  as  growing  from  the  past"— 7^  Onth«k. 


MISSIONS  HOME  AND  FOREIGN 


All  About  Japan   a  Young  People's  History  of  Japan, 
izmo.  Cloth,  net  #1.00.  BELLE  M.  BRAIN 

A  young  people's  history  of  Japan  from  the  earliest  days  down  to 
the  present.  A  great  mass  of  information,  historical  and  otherwise,  is 
condensed  with  surprising  skill  within  the  covers  of  a  small  volume. 


With  Tommy  Tompkins  in  Korea 

Illustrated, i2mo,Cloth,net  $1.25.         L.  H.  UNDERWOOD, fl-D. 

A  vivid  story  of  lifein  Korea.  Native  life  is  most  graphically  and 
humorously  presented  in  connection  with  the  experiences  of  this 
American  family.  Entertainment  and  accurate  information  about 
things  Korean  are  here  admirably  blended. 


Home  Mission  Readings 

lamo.  Cloth,  net,  50c.,  Paper,  net,  25c.    ALICE  M.  GUERNSEY 

A  collection  of  stories  and  sketches  dealing  with  various  phases  of 
Home  Mission  work,  and  especially  designed  for  use  in  missionary 
meetings.  Women's  auxiliary  societies,  and  Young  People's  societies 
will  find  it  of  value  in  making  out  their  programes.  A  bright  story 
will  catch  and  hold  the  attention  better  than  a  prosy  speech. 


Indian  and  Spanish  Neighbors 

Interdenominational  Home  Mission  Study  Course. 

i2mo.  Cloth,  net  50c.,  Paper,  net  30c       JULIA  H.  JOHNSTON 

The  Third  volume  in  the  series  begun  in  Under  Our  Flag.  In- 
tended for  use  as  a  text  book  in  all  Women's  Home  Mission  Societies. 
Covers  the  needs,  and  opportunity  for  work,  among  the  Indians  and 
Spanish  speaking  people  in  our  Western  states,  in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico. 


The  Burden  of  the  City  3rd  Edition. 

i6mo,  Cloth,  net  50c. ;  paper,  net  30c.  I5ABELLE  HORTON 

A  study  of  Home  Mission  work  as  applied  to  our  large  cities,  by  a 
deaconess  of  wide  experience.  Especially  designed  for  use  by  Mis- 
sion Study  Classes  whether  young  or  old. 


Our  People  of  Foreign  Speech 

i6mo.  Cloth,  net  50c.  SAMUEL  McLANAHAN 

"There  is  a  fund  of  information  contained  in  this  little  volume 
that  those  interested  in  the  religious  andsocialistic  problems  of  the  day 
will  do  well  to  avail  themselves  ot."— Presbyterian  Banner. 


At  Our  Own  Door  Home  Missions  in  the  South. 
Cloth,  Illustrated,  net  |i. 00.    Paper,  net  35c.         S.  L.  flORRIS 
"This  book  will  be  a  power  in  the  land.  It  is  brimful  of  energy  and 
common  sense  enthusiasm.    It  is  aggn^essive,  interesting,  instructive." 
Scutkwe»t$rn  PretiyiiTian, 


IMPORTANT  ESSAYS  AND  ADDRESSES 


The  Universal  Clements  of  the  Christian 
Religion 

lamo,  Cloth,  net  f  1.25.  CHARLES  CUTHBERT  HALL 

Amid  the  flood  of  books  on  the  subject  of  religion  there  appears 
every  few  years  one  booK  that  dwarfs  all  others,  one  that  crystalizes 
the  thinking  of  the  Christian  world.  Such  is  this  book.  This  man 
separates  himself  from  the  bewildering  crossed  paths  and  standing 
free,  grasps  clearly  the  course  that  is  being  followed  by  the  Christian 
age  of  which  he  is  a  part.  His  knowledge  is  cosmopolitan  and  accur- 
ate, his  logic  is  clean  cut  and  simple,  and  his  conclusions  convincing 
and  optimistic,  springing  from  a  faith  at  once  simple  and  profound  in 
its  certainty  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Saviour  of  the  world  of  men  who 
are  his  possession. 


Paths  to  Power 

2nd  Edition.    i2mo.  Cloth,  net  $1.25.  F.  W.  GUNSAULUS 

"Not  till  now  has  Dr.  Gunsaulus  put  a  volume  of  his  discourses 
into  print.  On  reading  them  one  is  disposed  to  concede  his  right  to 
the  place  assigned  him  by  Prof.  Wilkinson  in  the  list  with  such  men  as 
Belcher,  Brooks  and  Spurgeon.  Dr.  Gunsaulus  resembles  Dr.  Joseph 
Parker  in  the  vivifying  imagination  which  he  brings  to  the  exposi- 
tion of  his  texts,  and  is  a  master  in  allegorizing  from  them,  fresh 
and  profound  lessons." — The  Outlaok. 


Humanity  and  God    And  other  sermons. 
i2mo.  Cloth,  net  $1.50.  SAMUEL  CHADWICK 

•  'In  every  sermon  the  preacher  looks  at  man  in  the  light  of  God 
and  strives  to  show  that  in  the  visitation  of  God  in  Christ  the  hope  of 
humanity  centres.  The  author  treats  with  great  force  and  freshness 
a  subject  on  which  plain  practical  teaching  is  in  our  own  time  much 
needed." — Methodist  Times. 


Loyalty:  The  Soul  of  Religion 

i2mo,  Cloth,  net  fi.oo.  J.  G.  K.  McCLURB 

"Dr.  McClure  sets  forth  the  idea  with  a  clearneis  not  surpassed  in 
terature,  and  in  a  great  variety  of  illustration,  argument  and  appeal. 
...  a  great  book  to  give  to  a  young  man  of  the  college  type.    It  takes 
him  as  he  is  and  takes  hold  of  best  possibilities  in  him." — N.  V.  Ob- 


Our  Attitude  as  Pastors  ??bTiS.1  clillm 

Paper,  net  loc  PROF.  LOUIS  RUFFBT 

Ab  address  to  the  stwdeats  of  the  Theological  Seminary  ml  the 
Vt—  Svangelical  Charch,  of  G«n«vft,  Swiueriaod. 


Date 


Due 


k  1  ^? 

MY 

f) 

